366 days NOT to fall in love with him
by Distressed Mistress
Summary: It's either you love him or you don't. As simple as it may sound, Elizabeth Reaser thinks otherwise, as she struggles to keep her misguided feelings intact while attempting to capture Esme's essence in order to produce a blockbuster hit. Will she be able to keep her promise? Or dress completely in character enough to fall in love with the man behind Carlisle Cullen himself?
1. Prologue: The Challenge

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_Welcome readers. First of all, to those who dislike the idea of my Peter and my Elizabeth on their way to Nirvana, then feel free to press that little button with an arrow pointing to your left. This fictional story about nonfictional characters is still considered fictional. So, don't over react much. These are all based on my imagination and nothing more._

_Or is it?_

_*shrugs and smiles* Of course it is._

_Rated M for later chapters. _

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**Prologue**

"I can't just sit here and watch him touch you the way I have! The worst part is? I have absolutely nothing to do about it!"

"Damn it, be professional Gavin! There's nothing going to happen between us! He's happy with his girlfriend and the same goes for us!"

"You've been working together for five consecutive years Liz. Look straight into my eyes and tell me. Tell me that you haven't fallen for him. Not even once."

"I haven't. We didn't even have enough scenes-"

"Yes that's the whole point! Now that you have a movie to work with that revolves around how your character and his character fell deep shit in love, the two of you will have _enough_ scenes to want to bang each other. I wasn't worried when you had that phone call, but when I first laid eyes on the script and saw how you were paired up with that guy..."

"Fine, if this is what you want. Just fine. I'll play your little game. Let's see how long you'll last without screwing with another woman,"

"I bet you can't take your hands off him after your shooting,"

"Damn it Gavin. I love you, but damn all of this,"

"I know Liz. You'll have my heart again and by the end of year, you'll never be touched by any man but me,"

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**A/N: **_Leave a review &amp; keep updated._

_Cheers,_

_disYmis_


	2. Chapter 1

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_Chapter posting is yet to be scheduled._

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**Chapter 1**

Elizabeth POV

I woke up at a distant sound of the television. I opened my eyes and was welcomed by the sloppiest yet cutest creature ever, resting lazily on the side of the bed. I yawned and gently got up. Last night had been the craziest night of my life. Lucy and I were not on our best behavior. My boyfriend Gavin, told me to minimize our hangouts together. He thought that she was just too much of a party animal. Little did he know, he was sleeping with one.

I giggled and made my way to the bathroom. I showered and got dressed in a purple tank-top and skinny jeans. This type of clothing on me will definitely drive Gavin insane.

"Morning Liz," Gavin called from the couch as I entered the living room.

"Morning," I called back walking into the kitchen. I then poured myself a glass of water.

"How was your sleep?" I asked him as I went back to the living room and sat with him. He looked up, his dark hair tousled and his Blue orbs twinkling mischievously.

"Now you're just doing that on purpose."

I let out a smirk and turned away from him. Instead, I kept my eyes glued to the television.

I felt him shift beside me, and before I knew it, his lips were inches from my left ear. "I slept wonderfully. A certain woman starred in my dreams." I heard myself gasp lowly as he pressed an intimidating soft kiss behind my ear. Seconds passed as I felt his hand against my neck, stroking it slowly. I bit back a moan when the phone rang.

I snapped out of the sweet distraction and reached for the ringing device. I took it and read the caller ID - it was my agent.

"Hello," I answered, slightly breathless. "Hello Elizabeth, you sound like you've ran a marathon. Am I interrupting something?"

I quickly said no when I heard Gavin chuckle. "I'm fine, I was just... What is it?"

"Summit called me earlier," she told me. "There's another movie to shoot and you're in it."

My skin tingled with excitement. I smiled as another opportunity landed on my doorstep. "What type is it?"

"It's a prequel to Twilight based on your character and Peter's character." she replied and my stomach did a double flip. Another Twilight movie with the cast!

"That's great!" I squealed, earning me a soft smile from Gavin.

"Yes, they've given me the script." she said. "I told them I'd ask you, so what do you say?" she asked me.

"You already know my answer," I asked teasingly. I would never say no to this.

"They want you there for fittings in a month," she replied.

"Perfect. I'll come by later to pick up the script," I told her.

"Okay, see you later then," she said and hung up.

I turned to look at Gavin, a massive smile planted on my face. I get to see everyone again! Nikki and Peter!

"I'm impressed Reaser. You're on a roll," Gavin said, poking at my stomach.

Yes I was on a roll alright. Right after Bonnie and Clyde, this came up.

"I can't believe I'm doing another Twilight movie," I said incredulously.

Gavin let out a sad smile. I wanted to kiss it away. "You'll be leaving again," We struggled to maintain our relationship when I was filming Bonnie &amp; Clyde, and he had to direct a movie far away from where I was. I felt bad that when we just had been reunited, I was excited to film another movie, putting yet another large gap between us.

I stopped smiling. "I know..." I said, trailing my eyes down. "Can't you just, I don't know... come with me?"

"I've already settled here," he whispered. "And you would be too busy anyway,"

My lips curved into a frown as I stared at him. "Please tell me we can work this out,"

Gavin had the look of uncertainty in his face again, and it wasn't my favorite look at all. "We'll try,"

I shifted closer to him and threw my arms around him. I pressed my head against his shoulders and mumbled, "I love you,"

His hands came around my waist as he whispered into my neck. "I love you too,"

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**A/N: **_Leave a review &amp; keep updated._

_Cheers,_

_disYmis_


	3. Chapter 2

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_Best served hot. _

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**Chapter 2**

I walked towards Gavin's house wearing a wide smile. I was with my agent for coffee. She gave me the script and I was already getting excited on how thick it was. I got a lot of reading to do.

She told me that it was about how Carlisle and Esme fell in love. I was kind of nervous about the whole concept of me and Peter on a displayed on-screen romance. But I quickly shook the thought out. It doesn't really matter. I mean, I've done this before.

I haven't seen any cast members yet, but I bet they're as excited as I am.  
Opening the door, I slipped inside and heard noise coming from the kitchen.

"Gavin? I'm home,"

There was still noise coming from there but there was no response. I put down my bag and tip-toed my way towards the kitchen.

"I'll be down in a minute Liz!" his voice called out from upstairs.

If Gavin was up there then who-

"Luther!"

My dog was on top of the kitchen counter, leaning his paws on the opened cabinet. He was biting a bag of marshmallows. He looked dramatically innocent, showing off his 'puppy dog' eyes.

"Oh you. Come down from there!" I scolded him, with a trace of amusement in my voice. He barked, and the bag of marshmallows fell off his snout. He casually jumped off the counter, and numerous marshmallows fell with him.

"Luther!" I groaned.

"What did he do this time?"

I sighed and shook my head, turning to him. "Isn't it obvi-"

I was cut off by Gavin, who was standing really close behind me. Naked. With only a towel draped around his hips. I saw how tiny droplets of water dragged its way down the hard planes of his chest.

"You were saying?" he said, holding back a grin.

I raised a finger and poked him right at the center of his chest. "Now this, is how someone does it on purpose," I told him, pressing my nail against his chest and dragged it down just above his belly-button. He was very well-endowed with his toned muscles and he was perfect in any places of his body.

"How was your day?" I asked, my voice deepening. My finger kept its ministrations.

He cleared his throat. "Good. You? Have they already given you the script?"

"Mhm," I nodded, loving the way he breathed deeply when I inserted the finger in the towel. His hand quickly stopped mine. He smiled as he looked into my eyes.

"Meet me in the bedroom," he suggested in a sultry voice. I could do nothing but stare at him as he moved away from me and went out of the kitchen.

I hurriedly took my bag from the living room and made my way to the bedroom.

As I opened the door, Gavin was already sprawled naked on the bed. I could not even comprehend the sight my brain was having problems taking in. I could see the invitation sparkling in his eyes as he smiled sexily. I breathed deeply, dropped everything I was holding and jumped into bed with him. I couldn't deny the fact that this man made me feel young again...

After our love-making session, I lay still besides Gavin. I looked outside through the window and realized it was already late, but I wasn't really tired in spite of what my boyfriend and I were doing. I listened to his calm breathing, and ignored the fact that he looked spectacular in his current state. I was afraid I might attack him again.

"Can I take a look at your script?" he asked, breaking the lovely silence.

I scanned the room for the script and as I looked down at the floor, I spotted the thick bundle of papers I was searching for. "Oh!" I squeaked, jumping off the bed and came towards it and picked it up. I smoothed it out and walked back to Gavin. I sat down and handed it to him.

He took it while I scooted besides him. The cover page we were looking at was entitled, 'The Rising Sun' and was written by the same writer who wrote Twilight's movie script. He then slowly turned the page.

Characters:

Elizabeth Reaser as Esme Cullen

Peter Facinelli as Dr. Carlisle Cullen

Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen

Ella Winters as Young Esme

George Dingham as Dr. Snow

"So you're the main character?" Gavin stated coolly. I re-scanned the list and nodded, feeling a bit uneasy. "Yes."

The page was turned before I had finished reading. I gave a sideway glance and found Gavin biting his lip - his mannerism. I secretly smiled and looked back at the script.

FADE IN:

TRAIN STATION - LATE AFTERNOON

At the 1920's train station in Ashland, crowded with folks who are hollering about.

DISSOLVE TO:

ESME, a 21 yr. old woman married to CHARLES, a war soldier, stands at the station and waits for the next train to come.

The following train stops. The passengers exit and those who waited enter.

As ESME steps into the train and out of her peripheral vision, CARLISLE a perpetually 23 yr. old vampire doctor gets off the train and spots her.

As soon as ESME turns her head, CARLISLE had already gone out of the train and out of her sight.

Gavin spoke as he turned the page, "What is this movie's about anyway?"

I was almost at the brink of fidgeting when I explained. "It's about the romance between the doctor and his wife,"

He raised an eyebrow and turned to me. "Between who and who?"

To make him understand better, I turned the page back to the character section and pointed out my name and to Peter's.

A hum came out of his mouth, and the way he did it almost seemed like he was considering that fact.

I silently broke our skin contact and rested against wooden headboard.

"Well that's a change of scene, huh?" he commented, turning the pages of the script.

"Yes," I agreed.

"So it's going to be you and him, right?"

I was mortified at not how he stated the obvious, but how he sounded so... accusing.

"Mhm,"

The sound of him continuously turning the pages was making me somehow uncomfortable. I quietly sighed in relief when the phone rang.

"I'll get it," he muttered, letting go of the script and bounded off the room. I was thankful that he has the urge to get the phone himself whenever it rang.

My eyes landed back on the script. Curious, I opened a random page with a finger and read it.

CARLISLE

Esme please, you have to stop breathing. Please, look at me.

ESME struggles. CARLISLE steadies his grip on her hands, his body pinning her to the ground. Snarling and growling can be heard.

CARLISLE

Esme, don't focus on it. Focus on something else.

ESME

Like what?!

CARLISLE thinks while he loosens his grip on her hands against the ground. He looks at Esme again.

CARLISLE

Focus on other things... Focus on me.

CARLISLE watched as ESME slowly approaches calmness, CARLISLE leans forward and-

"My friend called,"

I almost jumped as I released the hold of my finger between the pages. "What?"

Gavin was already inside our room, looking inside the closet. "He said he recommended me for a project," he told me. "And he asked me for coffee to talk about it,"

"That's great!" I exclaimed. I was happy for him and hoped that he would work on a project for this year as well.

"Yeah," he smiled at me, putting on a fresh shirt.

I returned his smile with a grin. I looked at the script again. I hadn't noticed the warm feeling on my cheeks when I read that last part. With all the excitement about the new movie, I forgot on what will be the center of it all.

I swallowed and tore my gaze away from the threatening bundle of papers.

Gavin had already dressed when he came towards me and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. "I'll see you later,"

"Mm, bye." I whispered against his lips.

I felt him smile before he pulled away and went downstairs. I stood up from the bed and dressed myself in comfortable sleeping clothing. I checked my phone and saw Nikki's message blinking on the screen. It read, 'Anothr movie! Gosh, i miss evry1 especially u missy! C u soon.'

I smiled at the thought of us working together again. It only seemed yesterday that we had finished Breaking Dawn pt. 2 and now, another movie project came up. I then texted her back, telling her the same thing. I glided my way back to my bed and lied down, feeling like a teenager again. I giggled and stared up the ceiling. Things will be amazing again, a bit different, but still. I closed my eyes and can't help but think of how proud I am of myself for having to get over that handsome Italian with a smile that could melt you from the inside-out.

I always remind myself that I am very well in love with Gavin, but there were always doubts that linger in my mind.

My leg hit the papers off the bed. I moved my body to where it had fallen and stretched my arms out to retrieve it. I accidentally brushed my hand on the papers and turned it to a page where the heavier side of it supported the whole script. I moved a little closer for me to be able to take the bundle of papers.

My eyes had caught a very particular word on the contents of that page. My mouth formed a circle as I quickly took the whole script and held it on my chest, and turned my position to where I was facing the ceiling again.

_Moans._

I took a deep breath and stilled myself, reminding myself that a moan can be seen at any other script. _Certainly, they were just talking about someone who did moan..._ I hopelessly thought. But it was written in present tense when I saw it. Of course, someone could moan in pain or in anger or in...

_Unbridled pleasure..._

I bit my lip and closed my eyes again. Remembering the bite scene Peter and I had. I actually moaned, and that was solid proof that my brain wasn't doing its job at that very moment. I hoped, and I still do that Peter hadn't heard it.

There was one thing for sure: I read too much romance novels.

Or I'm just a bit stupid to have overlooked it.

There is already no doubt that in this movie, Peter and I would kiss. Not that typical kiss where you simply touch your lips with the other, it's _that _kind of kiss that sets fire to all the parts of your body, a kiss where you can almost feel your soul drifting together, finally finding its other half.

Not to mention a kiss between newlyweds. _Naïve kisses, tentative touches, and awkward, passionate joining…_

I laughed bitter. It would be ridiculous that they'd put a wedding scene in the script. It all seemed too unnecessary to do so.

I had to cool down before any more thoughts would enter my head. If I really wanted to answer my hypothesis, I had to read the script.

I trailed my hands to estimate the pages of the script. I sighed lowly and sat myself up. _It's going to be a long night._ I thought as I opened the first part of the scripted writings.

* * *

**A/N: **_Leave a review &amp; keep updated._

_Cheers,_

_disYmis_


	4. Chapter 3

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Peter POV

"Will you marry me?"

I never could've guessed I would say those words again. I had the feeling that I just had to let it out. There were times that I doubt my love for Jaimie ever since, and that's why I decided to make a commitment to her. It wasn't the best idea to do so considering that I _was uncertain. _A man is supposed to propose to a woman he was sure he was in love with. It was completely different from my situation. After she said yes, I still felt like there was something missing. I'm happy of course, but there was this nagging voice at the back of my head that says otherwise. I don't want to be a kind of douchebag who cancels a proposal just because he felt something as senseless as what I was feeling now. All I need to do now is wait for us to become husband and wife, and then I would know that this whole thing is what I was missing.

The night I proposed to her was the same night my agent called me, telling me that there was going to be another Twilight movie. I couldn't believe it.

Not until I received the thick bundle of script from him.

"It's a love story between your character and his wife starting from before they got married," Matt my agent, explained. "It's basically different from the Bella &amp; Edward thing, but a love story nonetheless,"

I haven't seen Liz for awhile, I take it she was busy as I was. I couldn't help the fact that I was still very well attached to her. She was one of the most important women of my life. I just hope that boyfriend she now has treats her well.

"The movie will be... a bit graphic, if you know what I mean," he piped.

I slowly shook my head and narrowed my eyes at him. "Actually no, I don't know what you mean at all." _Oh of course I know what he means. I just wanted him to confirm it._

He shrugged. "I'm just sayin' that it's going to be a graphic love story, 'ya know?"

"So? I've done this many times before,"

He gaped at me. "I mean she's your best friend, wouldn't it be awkward?"

I sighed, looking away from him. "We're both professionals, we can handle it."

I was starting to think about what I had said to my agent when I read the middle part of the script, where I was sure _the scenes _will be at. I'm not sure I liked the idea of me and Liz doing _the scenes, as I'd like to call it_. It wasn't _50 shades of Grey _stuff, but it wasn't plain or boring either. When my agent said it was graphic; he wasn't joking. I was ashamed to admit that I was looking forward to it. I had to stop the urge to travel my thoughts to that part of our relationship. There was just that line we couldn't cross. I would promise myself not to get those ideas inside my head now that I was engaged to Jaimie.

My fiancée doesn't know very much about the movie project but I did tell her that another project was coming up and that I had accepted it. Our wedding is set days after the last day of shooting.

I rested peacefully in the King-sized bed Jaimie and I shared. I just came home from spending the day with my daughters. They were my angels and a day spent with them is a day I would cherish forever. I'm happy that they were growing up to be fine ladies but I wasn't too excited for them to step out of my embrace. Any father wouldn't want that, but I had to accept the fact that everyone needs to move forward.

My phone was within reach as I debated myself whether I should call Liz or not. We would see each other in the next weeks on set, along with the other cast members. I guess I was just nervous on how our exchange would be.

Closing my eyes, I rubbed my palms together and breathed deeply. I remembered how we did those extra scenes together in Twilight. How chaste our kiss was, the softness of her neck, how much of a turn-on it was when she pushed me against the wall, the paleness of her skin, the blush she had on both of her cheeks when I gently bit her neck, and that _moan _she uttered. God, I wouldn't dare to forget _that_ moan. They were innocent little gestures that left me a mark. A permanent one at that.

Fate thinks it's funny giving me a choice whether or not to accept this movie offer to play as Dr. Cullen together with his wife – a very close friend of mine - right after I was engaged, and partially committed to spend the rest of my life with my fiancée. But being a guy with a very daring nature, I'll accept that challenge.

Let's see how far my control could reach. I'm an actor; if they want graphic, I'll give them graphic.

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**A/N: **_I hope daring Fach was enough let you read later chapters. Leave a review &amp; keep updated._

_Cheers,_

_disYmis_


	5. Chapter 4

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_When daydreaming gets the best of you…_

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**Chapter 4**

Elizabeth POV

"And he said we could possibly be making the best movie this generation could ever imagine,"

_And he pressed his lips to hers…_

"And I said, 'Yeah, I'm definitely up for it. If you could get me a better scriptwriter than this guy!'"

_His hands came up to her waist…_

"You know who I'm talking about. It's Sam. He's the worst. He writes like a 5 year old in a tantrum, and I was obligated to put up with his shit for the whole year."

_Everything seems to fall into place..._

"And he's like, 'Oh come on, give the guy a chance.' Pffft. I gave him a chance long ago, and he didn't even… Liz?"

_Everything…_

"Are you even listening to me?"

Everything… crashed back down to reality, as I stood in the kitchen with Gavin, a knife in his hand. For a moment, I thought he had read my thoughts and had the intention to stab me to death.

"Hm?" I answered, alternately looking at him and the knife.

"I just told you that… Hello?" he waved the knife, breaking my gaze on it.

I looked blankly at the knife. Remembering when Kellan waved at Kristen with a knife in his hand when we shot the time Bella was brought into the house. Memories flooded my mind. And shortly after shooting that scene, Peter and I did that deleted one when we kissed…

"Jesus!"

I snapped back into reality once again, as Gavin rushed to the stove and turned it off. The egg, which I guess I was supposed to cook, burned. He put on mittens and a fork and turned it over. I can hear him mumbling, but it faded off when a flashback crossed my mind again.

Peter and I cooked an omelet for dinner at the night of the week before shooting New Moon. We spent too much time talking to each other that the omelet was long forgotten and we spent dinner eating pizza instead. We only realized it was still cooking when Peter went to fetch glasses of wine. I remembered laughing so hard, knocking off a wine glass from the kitchen counter..

"Really Liz?"

My eyes widened, and then I blinked several times. Had I really been standing here all this time whilst Gavin already prepared the table?

"Liz, you're freaking me out. What's wrong?"

_This is bad._

"I'm fine." I mumbled, putting down the fork I didn't know I was holding and silently went to the bathroom.

Reading that script the whole night before was not a good idea at all. I spent the whole morning thinking about _him_.

I thought it was because I had nothing better to do. But I was in the kitchen cooking! It was something I _needed_ to do!

_Goddammit!_

I faced the bathroom mirror. I looked like I was blushing the whole time I was daydreaming while Gavin took care of dinner.

I was wrong. I will never be able to get over him. No matter how hard I try.

And the upcoming making of the movie won't help me at all.

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**A/N: **_I apologize for my absence. It's been too long, but I'm here and I'm committed to this story as much as my schedule would allow me. __Leave a review &amp; keep updated._

_Cheers,_

_disYmis_


	6. Chapter 5

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_Two lovely ladies making up for lost time._

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Elizabeth POV

It was Saturday; one more week till the making of the movie, and none of the cast members had even contacted each other. I'm not even sure if Peter himself accepted the offer. Chances are I'd be working intimate scenes with a man I have never met nor seen in my life.

_But that would be good! It wouldn't have to be awkward._

Because being with Peter makes everything awkward and lovely at the same time.

Another part of me wished it would still be him playing Dr. Cullen. There wasn't anyone else who could play his character better than him. It was fate who brought him to play the Cullen patriarch.

I don't know about my place in this franchise. Any woman could've pulled off Mrs. Cullen. But I have that unmistakable, maternal warmth that I unconsciously display on and off screen, despite the fact that I had never bore a child of my own.

The sun shone through the kitchen window and I breathed a sigh of relief that Gavin left early this morning. Don't get me wrong, I love that man. But ever since he had been given the offer for direction, he'd been talking about it all week. Even I wasn't able to contribute. Or maybe I didn't really want to talk about it.

I knew Gavin didn't like the idea of me and Peter working together again. He was ridiculously suspicious. I was hurt, of course. It meant he was questioning our commitment. But even though I was a hundred percent sure I was in love with him, I was bothered by the idea that my working together with Peter might change that.

I held the cup of coffee in my hands and stared at the phone. Should I contact someone? I didn't want to be that overly zealous actor in a movie where everyone else would be like lounging in a couch on set, waiting for the goddammed movie to begin filming and finish as soon as possible.

I sighed and swung my leg on top of the other. I was still in my fluffy, purple bath robe and only God knows how my hair looks like.

I feel bad for not letting Paget know about the new movie. I just didn't want that woman to know, especially for the fact that Peter and I would be the leading cast in a romance flick. She'd be conjuring up dirty thoughts (and not to mention stories) about how the movie would end. I know her long enough to be cautious about this stuff.

A knock on the door almost made me fall off the stool I was sitting. My eyes widened as I stared at the hall leading to the living and tried hopelessly to fix my hair and robe. I glanced at the wall clock and saw that it was eight in the morning. Who the hell would knock on my door at this time?!

_Please don't be Peter. Please don't be Peter. Please don't be Peter. Please just be an annoying teenager pranking me and think it's funny._

I slowly opened the door and casually peeked out.

"Yes?"

And suddenly, arms flew around my shoulders as I stumbled backwards. I smiled widely, tapping the woman's back.

"It's been so long Nicole,"

"It is!" She snorted, breaking her hold on me. She took a step back but kept her hands on my shoulders.

Her dark eyes scanned my form, and just as I was predicting what she would say…

"You look like hell." she commented with a disapproving look. "So not movie-ready."

I rolled my eyes and grinned. "I miss you too,"

She smirked and proceeded to the living room. I closed the door that I swore creaked from the sudden, explosive entrance Nikki made.

"Ohhh kay. Same ol', same ol'. Where's your lover?"

"Out. Probably telling his dead cousins about the movie offer he just accepted."

As I moved to the living room, Nikki turned to face me. "That's great timing then,"

I nodded, and took a first look at Nikki since the last couple of months I've seen her. Her dark hair was pulled up in a pony-tail, and was wearing dark-washed jeans and a simple white T-shirt. She looked like she had stayed away from the sun for too long.

"Hey lady, are you checking me out?" she chided playfully, sending me a wink. "I'm gonna tell Gavin 'bout that,"

"Don't flatter yourself," I retorted with a smile. "You do look a little pale."

She seated herself in the couch and sighed, throwing her head back. "I'm just tired. The sun sure did feel good on the way coming here,"

She stared up the ceiling with a blank look on her face. And that was not a good sign. Nikki always wore a readable expression. Ones I could read, at least.

"Where were you before you came here then?"

"I was with Santa, wrapping presents on the North Pole," she murmured, then turned to look at me as I switched the television on.

"Hm really?" I teased, knowing how unsubtle her answer was.

"Yeah but apparently, he wasn't too happy when I made a mistake."

"What?" I whispered, moving closer to her. "What happened, Nikki?"

She rubbed her fingers against her temples. "Nothing. Just a stupid misunderstanding. I didn't come here to talk about that though,"

"Do you want something to drink? Or eat?"

She smiled, and for a moment, I remembered all the fun moments we had together in the past. But now, her eyes seemed sad. I wanted to comfort her, but I know she'd still insist. I know that Nikki wasn't a person who could just spill her emotions all over the place. Usually, she would want to think everything through first, before she could share it with others. She was my total opposite. And maybe that's why we're such good friends.

"I assume you've read the script?" she asked in a teasing but formal tone.

Internally groaning, I sat myself beside her. "Yes."

"So, how was it? I heard that you and Fach are the leads." She said in a casual tone, but with her eyebrows wagging.

"It was… the script was well… written. The script was well-written,"

"By well, you mean..."

"Nikki..."

She grinned. And I grinned too, happy to bring back good old Nikki.

"Bella and Edward would sure have a run for their money."

_Good old Nikki..._ "I don't think so,"

She gave me 'the look', one I learned not to mess with. "Oh please, you can trick other people but you could never get past this," she said, gesturing to herself. "You and Daddy Cullen have a lovely chemistry on and off set!"

"Yeah, and my chemicals are ought to react violently if you don't quit that, Nikki. He and I have our own spouses now. That imaginary chemistry you're talking about ain't gonna work anymore."

"Hmph. Well, it's glad to know that I'm not going to appear in any early scenes then,"

_What?_

Oh no. I remembered when I read the script, Nikki and the others, excluding Robert, didn't appear in the story until Carlisle and Esme got married.

_And yes, there's a wedding scene. Can you believe that?_

She scoffed. "Luckily for you, I wouldn't be there to tease you all the time. But I think I'll ask Robert if he would be willing to take the job..."

"Nikki, I thought it'd be the same as the last time. How could I have overlooked this?" I whined, covering my face with my hands.

"It's okay Liz." she said, taking my hands off my face. "It's just how the story goes."

"But really, who would watch it then?" I mumbled lowly, shaking my head and turned to stare at the television.

"What do you mean?"

I shook my head again. "Without you or the others. It'd be horrible."

"Liz... Did you even read the script?"

I turned to her, my temper rising. "I just told you, didn't I?"

"Really?" she challenged, " 'Cause you _did_ overlook the fact that the story was magnificent! And to be honest, it was a better love story than Edward and Bella's. Don't tell Stephanie."

"What would be the point then? Edward and Bella _were _the reason Twilight came to life. And it would be the same reason why people would watch this movie."

She gaped at me like I'd gone mad. "Liz, didn't you know that there's people fangirling about Carlisle and Esme?"

"Yes, but-"

"And you and Peter?" she smiled, pronouncing our names in a sing-song tone.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "But we didn't really..."

"That's the chemistry I was talking about! The rest of the Cullens only had a few scenes, but in those scenes, you and Peter still made a lasting impression on the viewers. The same goes with Alice and Jasper, or Rosalie and Emmett. But you and Peter… Geez, you guys made it painfully obvious,"

My face and neck grew hot as I was listening to Nikki. I've never really given much thought about it.

"Face it. You two are going to anger Bella and Edward fans. Bigtime."

* * *

**A/N: **_Part two coming up next chapter.__Leave a review &amp; keep updated._

_Cheers,_

_disYmis_


	7. Chapter 6

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_Liz &amp; Nikki's convo pt. 2_

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Elizabeth POV

"_Face_ _it. You two are going to anger Bella and Edward fans. Bigtime."_

I sighed, and leaned against the couch. "Trust me. I have no intention of doing that."

"Yes. That's why no one can blame you two,"

"Stop it Nikki. He has a girlfriend." I practically whined at her.

"_Fiancée_, you mean."

I tore my eyes away from the ceiling. "What?"

"You look surprised," she stated, eyeing me questionably. "He's engaged, didn't you know?"

Pain can actually be felt at the center of my chest. I had the instinctual urge to place my hand against there, but I knew that would make Nikki's eyebrows shoot up the ceiling.

Instead, I took in a deep breath and continuously shake my head. "No, I didn't."

We sat together in silence, listening to a commercial about a popular wedding planner. It took me all I had not to take the remote beside me and throw it to the television.

"Did he tell you about it… personally?"

Nikki's voice deepened, right after she cleared her throat. "No. I just read it in the tabloids," she said. "I'm more surprised he didn't tell _you. _I mean… he tells you about everything."

I forced out a smile, and even failed to make it a genuine one. _He did used to tell me about everything. I was after all, the first person he told when he and Jennie were about to get divorced. _"We hadn't really contacted each other since then..."

"Well that's just rude." She huffed, putting on her bitchy expression.

"He might have been busy," I rasped. "When was it published in the tabloids?"

"Last Tuesday,"

_Not so long ago…_ "Wow. Isn't that nice?" I murmured, lacing my fingers together.

"Yeah, but he just got divorced,"

I bit my lip. "That was years ago Nikki..." I gently told her.

He was going to get married. And he didn't even tell me. It's not that _I_ need to know, really. But…

I chewed on my lip and tried not to let even a single drop of tear fall from my eyes. I don't know why I had a feeling of crying. It's not like we're secret lovers unapproved by the world and was torn apart by a forced marriage with another.

I desperately wanted to cancel my acceptance to the movie offer, for fear that my heart would fail to continue its beating if I ever see him.

"Liz?"

I hummed in response, avoiding her eyes.

"Are you okay?"

My jaw clenched. "I am. Why shouldn't I be?"

She then held out her palms in defense. "I was just asking…"

Now I felt ten times worse, if that was even possible.

"I'm sorry I just... The three of us were always close. I'm just hurt that he didn't tell either of us. And we just both heard it from other sources."

Nikki nodded slowly and crossed her arms together. "He has his reasons. Whatever they may be," she said, adding the last part in a low voice.

I stared at the television once more, grimacing when that famous matchmaker show played.

"Do you think he'll still play Dr. Cullen?" I hopelessly asked.

"Of course he will. Does it really matter if he's engaged or married? He's still an actor. He wouldn't dare to decline the offer. He's not much of a jerk to disappoint his fans."

"Not much?" I said, chuckling humorlessly. _But then again…_

I'm an actor too. I would have to deal with what I had gotten myself into, and be professional all throughout the movie making process. _It wouldn't be the same at all…_

Nikki took out her phone from her pocket when it rang and answered it.

"I'm at Liz's house," she said, her eyes darted from left to right and back. "No. I did not - What? I said I didn't – Of course, of course. I'll be there."

"Paul?"

She put her phone back her pocket, her expression blank. "Yeah… I better go now,"

"Nikki," I whispered. "Is everything okay?"

She smiled at me. "Everything's peachy. Don't worry about it."

I stood from the couch as she did, smoothing out the wrinkles from my shirt.

"I'll see you later," she said.

We both hugged each other. I rubbed her back and she rubbed mine.

"It'll work it. We're all still besties, remember that okay?" she said in a stern yet warm tone.

I giggled and released her. "The three of us,"

"Mhm."

She gave me one last smile before departing from my house. I stood by the door, unaware of the fact that a single teardrop _did_ succeed all the way down my cheek.

_366 days of working with him…_

* * *

**A/N: **_Leave a review &amp; keep updated._

_Cheers,_

_disYmis_


	8. Chapter 7

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_Where fate's humor shine._

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Elizabeth POV

"You two just need to talk about it,"

"I… There's really nothing to talk about,"

Esme sighed, and then looked at her blonde husband, and turned to me to give me a lop-sided smile. "You're not going to hold it in forever, you know."

"Hold what in?"

"Come on Liz," Carlisle chuckled, in his most handsome glory.

"Huh?"

"Liz," Esme whispered.

"What?" I struggled. "What are you saying?"

_Liz…_

"Liz!"

My eyes snapped open, and I quickly shut them close as the bright lights almost blinded me. I lazily moved my head to look to the left. The clock said it was past dinner time. I tried to sit up but I felt very tired.

"So you decided to wake up now?" Gavin said. He sat on the other side of the bed, his back facing me.

"Thanks to you," I grumbled, burying my head against the pillow.

I heard a quick laugh, followed by a vocal, dramatic sigh.

"I missed you,"

A sad smile formed my lips. I turned from the pillow and cocked my head to him. "How much?"

He rubbed his chin as if he was thinking hard. "Should I, or should I not show you?"

Smirking, I realized how his ruffled dark hair appeared to be sexier than usual.

I pulled him to me and murmured. "That's entirely up to you,"

I stood in front of my reflection in the mirror, pulling my hair up in a bun. I looked at it in different angles and decided it looked okay. I then proceeded to put on my favorite gray hoodie, and sprayed on cologne.

I turned sideways and my eyes trailed down my butt.

_Yep, it still looks too good to be true._

"You always have the nicest ass," Gavin confirmed my thoughts.

I grinned at him. "I can tell by the way you're drooling right now,"

Gavin lay on the bed, covered in sheets and somehow, his hair was messier than before. I wanted to stay with him, but my stomach said otherwise.

"I'll be right back," I told him, taking my purse and my phone from the dresser.

"Buy me a coke, will you?" he said. "And a bag of Cheerios,"

I rolled my eyes. "You just told me that five minutes ago,"

"Let's just play safe here," he called out as I was headed downstairs. I simply smiled.

After I exited my house, I got into my yellow Alfa Romeo and drove my way to the nearest Seven-Eleven.

I arrived, and as I was just going to get out the car, I glanced at the rearview mirror and with my mouth hanging open, I saw a bright pink bra taped on the rear car window.

"What the hell?" I burst out, quickly getting out of my vehicle. I rounded the car and took the bra I didn't even realize I drove with taped behind my car, clearly visible, all the way here. I must've look like a complete idiot; or worse, a whore.

I placed my hand on my forehead and dragged it down my face_. Paget. This has to be Paget._ _God... I told her Bacardi 151 was too damn strong but no, she drank it anyway…_

"I didn't expect to see you here standing in the parking lot, holding and looking at a bra with pure rage."

I groaned in exasperation, and turned to the annoying man talking to me.

Just then, my eyes widened as I took in a tall handsome man with brown hair, grayish-green eyes and a gorgeous smile.

_Of course…_

* * *

**A/N: **_Not exactly a cliff-hanger, but it'll do. Leave a review &amp; keep updated._

_Cheers,_

_disYmis_


	9. Chapter 8

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_A painful reunion between two oblivious individuals._

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Elizabeth POV

_Of course… _It couldn't be anyone else but him.

_You got a nice sense of humor fate, real nice._

"What a surprise," I said, trailing off. A second later I realized that probably sounded more pathetic than it actually was.

Instead of agreeing with me, he flashed me one of his signature smiles. _He just had to, hadn't he?_

"If you can see what I'm seeing, I wouldn't be too much of a surprise if you ask me,"

_Enough surprises_. I thought darkly. I had enough of it hours ago. The same annoying urge to sob hit me full force. I forced out a smile and shook the bra in my right hand. I probably looked like an idiot. Again.

"Yeah, it's um... I don't even know how to explain this," I chuckled breathlessly, opened the car door and threw the tiny but bright piece of clothing inside. I slowly closed my car, pressing my palm against the handle. I decided against going inside and just drive home and settle with leftover spaghetti, but I remembered Gavin wanting coke and Cheetos. And I already got here for heaven's sake!

"So how are you?" he asked in a soft voice.

I nodded plainly, my back still facing him. I took out my phone and looked at it. I squinted my eyes at the black screen and sighed quietly.

What kind of dumbass answers a how are you question with a nod?

I turned to him, and wished I hadn't. He looked even more handsome since I last saw him, which was seconds ago. "I'm great actually, but I'm not the one getting married here, aren't I?" I said nonchalantly, my eyes blinking.

His expression quickly shifted. He avoided my eyes and chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah, you heard that,"

"I did," I nodded continuously, looking deadpan.

He puts his hands in his pockets as he stared in the dark sky wistfully. He then smiled, eyes retreating to mine. "We're not officially engaged, the public just thought otherwise."

I let out a lazy smile. _It still doesn't change anything though, no need to humor me._ "Well Jaimie's a lucky girl, one way or another."

And just then, a dark-haired girl carrying a small plastic bag appeared in the parking lot, coming towards us. Her eyes were fixated to Peter, and then to me. My throat felt restricted, and my eyes seemed to tear up. I felt like a part of me died the moment she went beside Peter and circled her unoccupied arm around his waist.

Peter smiled and took the plastic bag from her hand. "So Liz, this is my fianceé."

Jaimie looked at me with a cheeky smile. "Hi,"

"Jaimie," I nodded, feeling afraid to move an inch closer to them. They look too perfect it hurt.

The silence that followed must have been the most awkward situation I have ever been in my entire life. Even though it was short, it seemed eternity to me before Peter spoke, "Uh, yeah. So, we better get going."

"We have lasagna to make," Jaimie giggled, looking at him with loving eyes. "To be cooked by me, because Peter burnt the first one."

Peter looked dreamy as he chuckled. He gazed at me and said, "See you at set, Liz."

I simply smiled and nodded too many times for tonight. When they drove off the lot, I moved backed and leaned against my car. I felt so drained… And we weren't even starting to film yet.

Maybe the best way to save me from all this pain is to back out from the movie…

Seeing them together left a huge dent on me. I don't even fucking know why. Gavin and I were happy. She and Peter were happy too. _But why?_ Why do I feel like I had been stabbed right in the chest when I see the both of them?

I don't think I'll be able to maintain my decency when filming starts.

_I can't do it… I just can't._

I need to move away. Away from all of this.

The trip from Seven-Eleven was a blur as I entered my house. It took me longer to get here, no thanks to my emotional distress that directed me to the port to get some fresh air.

I noticed the lights were off, so maybe Gavin was probably in bed. I then quietly closed the door behind me.

"Don't make me ask you why you took so long," a deep voice uttered in the dark.

I reacted quickly, reaching for the lights and turned it on. I stared wide-eyed at Gavin, sitting in our couch, a bottle of beer in his hand and my movie script in the other.

_This is not good…_

* * *

**A/N: **_I'm rude, aren't I? Stay tuned, leave a review &amp; never stop reading._

_Cheers,_

_disYmis_


	10. Chapter 9

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_It's funny how things would turn out so differently in the end._

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Peter POV

The night was cold, but the interior of the house felt nice and warm. We got back from Seven-Eleven, after a brief encounter with my onscreen wife. It has been long since I saw Liz. She appeared tired and yet, her presence brought back lively memories of us having fun on and off set. Not to mention the wonderful nostalgia I've been waiting for awhile. As guilty as I was at that moment, I still found her quite stunning, even for someone who was holding an unthinkable object in one of her hands. My excitement for the movie escalated quickly after our meeting. Just thinking about how the fans would react to an upcoming prequel of Twilight that's about Bella's _parents-in-law_ still cracks me up, up to this day. Whoever thought of this was a genius, and I appreciate every bit of his/her intellect.

After we had dinner, I offered to clean up the table while Jaimie took care of the dishes. I kept silent of the fact the lasagna wasn't any good. The burnt one I _accidentally _made probably tasted better. What's worse than insulting a man's cooking? Insulting a woman's.

"Did you tell that friend of yours?" Jaimie asked, breaking my train of thought.

_Liz?_I thought as I gathered all the dirty plates and properly stacked them. "Told her what?"

"Told her you got an elephant and rode it towards the sunset," she answered with slight annoyance in her tone.

"What?" I smiled coyly, bringing the plates to the sink.

She tilted her head to my side. "You _are_ engaged, aren't you?"

I bit my lip and let out a mild smile. _She sounds so… possessive._"Liz knows," I chirped, moving back towards the dining table. _Everyone knows._I thought, somehow irritated.

An eerie silence enveloped in the kitchen, and it intensified the noises the utensils made when they'd clash gently on the counter tiles. I wanted to manually wash the dishes. I wasn't very fond of the dishwasher after what happened back when we were shooting Eclipse. I kind of developed a fear involving modern kitchen technology. A scene flashed in my mind that has Liz in it. She was laughing hysterically when she laid eyes on the flooded kitchen floor. Instead of worrying about it, I started to laugh as well.

I chuckled, continuously wiping the table with a clean cloth. _Ah, the things that would happen when we'd start shooting…_

"What's so funny?" Jaimie said, encircling her arms around my waist. The feel of her slim body against mine was soothing.

I let out a soft smile. "Just a memory," I answered quietly as she pressed one of her cheeks against my back.

"Hm..." she sighed. "Did you like the lasagna?"

A sick feeling gathered in my stomach. "It was good,"

She let go of me and I stopped my wiping. I turned, and was greeted by a pair of beautiful but angry, dark eyes glowering at me.

"To you; when it's good, it's bad." She pouted, and moved away from me.

Chuckling, I put down the piece of cloth on the table and neared her. As I did, she lengthen the gap between us and went out of the kitchen dismissively.

"Jaimie..." I sighed. _Every little thing…_

I pushed the chairs to their rightful places and took the cloth from the table and hanged it near the window. I washed my hands thoroughly with soap and decided on what to do to appease her on the third time of the day.

_Sex? No, I already used that earlier… A back massage? Eh, that usually leads to sex afterwards… Food? Yes. Definitely. She must have a craving for something at this time of the night…_

I dried my hands with a towel, and then proceeded to scan the fridge for anything sweet, and hopefully strong enough for her to forget my inadequate answer.

When I opened the fridge door, my eyes went straight to the cooler. I took out the vanilla ice cream that I forgot I bought late last night. Ben &amp; Jerry's will definitely make her forget. I had been with her long enough to know that she had a weakness when it comes to sweets.

I weighed in it my hands, and felt like it was lighter than it supposedly was when I brought it home and instantly suspected that my youngest daughter probably ate the half of it. _One of my lovely children did grin widely at me before the three of them left the house earlier…_

Smiling, I took a spoon and followed after Jaimie in the living room. She sat in the couch in front of the television, completely ignoring my presence. _Not for long..._

I occupied the space beside her and she then scooted farther away from me. I can tell she was desperately keeping her eyes pasted on the flat-screen television.

"I have ice cream," I said unceremoniously. I wanted to kick myself, but I just kept quiet then and struggled to hold a chuckle. That's exactly how you make things worse.

"I hate you," she murmured, finally looking at me. Oh. Scratch that. She was looking at what I was holding.

_I know it was just her way of teasing or something, but it actually hurt when she said that…_I thought. I quickly followed it up with a, '_that sounded gay_ ' thought.

"I try Peter," she whispered, almost breaking to a sob.

_What the… Ohhh kay. This just got a lot more serious than it should have._

I inched closer to her, dragging my palm on the back pillows of the sofa to hold her. She simply inclined her body away from mine and dismissed my intentions.

"What are you talking about, love? The lasagna was fine."

She turned her head to my direction, her eyes burning. "Seriously Peter? You're still lying." She burst out. "Do you really want a wife who doesn't know how to cook?"

I cringed at the sound of her voice almost echoing throughout the room. I gave the television a quick glance and then shook my head. "I don't care," I uttered quietly," I don't care about what you don't know."

The guilt consumed me like fire. _How can I be so fucking insensitive?_

Jaimie still looked at me with those beautiful, dark eyes. Pain clawed at me as I was brought to the realization that I was the reason her eyes were teary.

"I'm sorry for being a jackass," I mumbled out, slowly taking her left hand in mine. I had never thought of what she would feel about this. I really regretted not buying that ready-made lasagna instead…

_Insensitive jackass. That's what you are._

"It's fine," she sniffed. "I was just being childish,"

I pressed my fingers against her palm firmly, moving nearer to her. "No you weren't." I told her. My throat felt like sand-paper. "Why don't we talk about this?"

She pointed the remote on the television and clicked it off. After the screen went blank and the background noise was gone, I then became ridiculously nervous. But we needed to communicate. It was the best way to get this over with.

Jaimie stared at me, waiting for me to say something. I took a deep breath, preparing to put away the ice cream, but Jaimie stopped me.

"Give me that, you jackass," She said in a demanding voice. I let out a sad smile and handed it to her. No matter what would happen, she'd still be my ice cream-loving fiancée.

Nothing would ever change that.

* * *

**A/N: **_Stay tuned, leave a review &amp; never stop reading._

_Cheers,_

_disYmis_


	11. Author's Note

**_A/N:_**

_I know, I know. You were expecting a chapter. I've made minor editing in the some of the past chapters. Just hang on till Wednesday or maybe Friday. I'll post a chapter then. I was just organizing the flow of the story. I have things in store of you, and I think you might love me for it.  
Let me just say that you'll either love the director of the upcoming movie they're going to make, or hate her guts so much you'll swap her for anyone else (even Gavin) anytime of the day.  
_

_Stay tuned, and thank you for following the story. _

_Cheers,_

_Distressed Mistress_


	12. Chapter 10

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_We all want a handsome hero to the rescue._

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Elizabeth POV

"_Don't make me ask you why you took so long…"_

I felt my heart pounding in my chest and the room unsettlingly cold. My eyes trailed back to the script in his hands. Did he really read the whole thing? If he did, why was I so afraid of his reaction?

I searched for my voice and answered his indirect question. "I stopped by the park to get some fresh air. I've been coped up inside the house for too long, you know."

Gavin's intent stare didn't falter as did my frozen stance. Two bottles of beer was on the coffee table and the third one was on his other hand. It was dark scene to look at, and a dramatic one too, to say the least. But still I felt shivers running down my spine, stopping at my feet.

_This is ridiculous…_

"You two met up didn't you?" he slurred angrily, pointing at me with his beer-holding hand.

I slowly and casually took my hood off and sauntered towards him. I put down the plastic bag on the table. I then straightened up, and tried to take hold of the situation.

"You're drunk, Gavin." I stated in a monotonously.

Without even thinking of a response, he howled. "That's not the fucking point!"

Sighing, I moved towards the kitchen to get a glass of water. This side of him irritated the hell out of me. What did he do? Go through my stuff and I don't know... pull out bottles of beer and drink them mercilessly for no reason? This is outrageous.

I pulled down my bun and fixed my hair. I took a pitcher of water from the fridge and poured it to a glass. Leaning against the counter, I drank it as my eyes spotted a figure at the bottom of the glass.

"No wonder you were so excited for the movie. You were looking forward in fucking Facinelli!"

I cringed and my left eye twitched. I still pulled off a calm façade, putting the glass on the counter.

Giving him a look of disgust, I crossed my arms together. Instead of walking away from him, I held my grounds. "You're drunk," I repeated, founding no valid answer that he could process. Not now, anyway.

He laughed like a drunk person would. His hair was disheveled and his face was reddened by alcohol.

"I'm a fucking director for Christ's sake. You think I don't know how this bullshit would end up?" he slurred again. "He's going to touch you, pretending it's all for the script. But no, he'll touch you because he can. Because you'll allow him to. Goddamn it!"

"Are you _really_? Are you really a director, Gavin?" I scoffed darkly. He nodded, clawing his hair back. "Then you would know that this is just acting, that it won't change anything," I sighed. "Can we talk about this in the morning? I'm not in the mood and you're drunk as a skunk,"

I moved away from his view, passing by him until he got hold of my arm. He squeezed and I gritted my teeth in anger.

_He just got passed the borderline. I swear to God if he hurts me even a little bit, I'll fucking kick him in the nuts. I've had enough of this bullshit in the past and I'm not going to let myself regret for not fighting back. Even if that someone is my partner._

He neared my face, pressing his mouth on my jaw, leaving a wet kiss smelling of alcohol.

"You're mine," he whispered in my ear. "And you better be sure it's all acting sweetheart."

A tiny gasp fled from my lips. _How much did he read?_

Instead of thinking of a sarcastic comeback, I plainly nodded. There was no use arguing to him anyway.

"On second thought," he said in a deep voice, his hands loosened a bit. "I'll let him enjoy you for the moment. That bastard is engaged anyway, the press'll like this one."

My jaw tightened in anger. I slapped his hand away from my arm, I then glowered at him, keeping my mouth shut and moved out of the kitchen.

"Where the hell are you going?"

I took my car keys from the coffee table in the living room and tied my hair into a bun for the second time. "Away from you." I replied dryly, going out of the house.

"Fine!" he shrieked. I barely heard him adding something after I started the car engine. I zoomed as fast as I could from the house. That man has got to learn it the hard way. Our relationship always gets blurry right after he'd drink that god-awful beer. It was a rare occurrence, but when he gets drunk, he acts like he owned the damn place. And considering that I was the one who practically owns the house, that man has gone too far tonight.

I get that his jealousy is kind of cute sometimes, but it's getting hella annoying every time he exaggerates the situation, and what he said tonight did hurt me in some sense. It hurts my place as an actor. I _act._ It's what I do for a living. It's what I want to do for the rest of my life, and he tossed all that for what? A stupid match up between me and Peter? He doesn't get that no matter how many love scenes I have with my co-star, I'd still be coming home to him. It's so irritating that he doesn't know that by now.

My grip on the steering wheel tightened. _But we're talking about Peter here. He's not just some co-star. He's something more..._

I bit my lip, and looked around the neighborhood. I wasn't going anywhere at all. I need to go somewhere. Anywhere. Usually, my first address to go to was Paget. But she'd just give me a glass of vodka and scold me for not breaking up with Gavin sooner. And due to my fragile state, I might do exactly that and then regret it later on. Next would be at Nicole's, but I doubt that she'd be available now. She got her own problems to deal with. I can tell by the conversation we had last time.

Anyone else was out of town for the moment. And anyone who I know the address to would still be no good. Gavin and I had just recently moved here and I don't know the roads very well.

_'You could go to Peter.' _the less rational part of my brain suggested. Ha-ha. My boyfriend - even in his sobered state- would throw a fit. Gavin isn't a man who envies a lot. But when he does, he takes it to the max level.

Sighing, I steered the car from around the corner of an unfamiliar street. The cold began to seep through my hoodie. My eyes scanned my surroundings. Only a few post lights were bright enough for me to recognize the houses, but even that didn't help me recognize the road I was in.

_Oh my god. _A wave of panic swept through me as I laid silent on the car, only my breathing audible. I was horrible at directions. All I can confirm now is I was still in the same town. I kept driving, only to be welcomed by yet another unfamiliar street and this time, the houses began to look unrecognizable to me.

I glanced at my phone. It was stupid to call someone at his time just because I made a rage quit from my argument with Gavin. I checked the fuel gauge just in case, and to my horror, the car was low on gas.

"Goddammit," I murmured in the dark of the night. I slowed down the car for a bit and decided on what to do. I was startled by ringing and found out it was my phone.

Relief, excitement and embarrassment stirred in my stomach as I looked at the blinking screen. I took my phone and sighed, "Fach..."

* * *

**A/N:**_You know the drill._

_Cheers,_

_disYmis_


	13. Chapter 11

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_I cannot simply cut to the chase now, can't I?_

* * *

**Chapter 11**

Robert POV

_Never think__  
__What's in your heart__  
__What's in our home__  
__So I won't_

_You'll learn to hate me  
But still call me baby  
Oh baby  
So call me by my name_

I stopped, thinking that if I'd continue to sing I'll remember _her _again_. _I tried so hard to forget, so hard to ignore that I was now half of the man I used to be. And it was all because of _her_.

I trailed my fingers on the strings of my forgotten guitar. It was a cold, dreary night, and only my broken voice can be heard amidst the silence of the evening.

My jaw tightened, and my eyes narrowed as I took hold of my guitar and continued the song.

_And save your soul  
save your soul  
Before you're too far gone  
Before nothing can be done_

_I'll try to decide when  
She'll lie in the end  
I ain't got no fight in me  
In this whole damn world  
Telling you to hold off  
She said hold on  
It's the one thing that I've known_

I let out a tired sigh. "_Without me you got it all so hold on..."_

"_Stop beating yourself," _she murmured_." It wasn't your fault. She just wasn't good enough for you."_

"_She wasn't, but she was everything to me."_

"_You gotta move on…"_

I slowly opened my eyes as the lyrics of the song kept flowing out of me. A thick bundle of paper on the dresser unexpectedly caught my attention. _I haven't really checked the script out. _

I pressed my palm against the guitar strings. The room fell silent. I carefully placed the guitar on the floor and leaned it against the wall. I stood up and crossed my room in a flash. I lifted up my eyes in front of the mirror and stared at my reflection.

_I looked so depressed. Pathetic. Tired. Confused. Lonely. _

Snatching the script from the dresser, I swiftly turned from my reflection. I sat on the bed and turned the pages of the bundles of paper I was holding.

"The Rising Sun," I read loudly, and smirked. "That sounds _so_ intriguing."

I turned to the next page. _Copyright mumbo-jumbos that nobody reads. _Next._ List of the casts. There were unfamiliar names listed at the bottom of mine. _I thought, looking for the familiar ones. _Looks like Elizabeth and Peter steal the spotlight. _

_I wonder if taking this offer was a good idea. I don't want to disappoint the fans after all. How would they react if they ever see a different Edward? And the movie just might look bad. Unless Peter and Liz can pull it off like Kristen and I unintentionally did._

I cringed at my mental mention of her name.

_Next._

Mostly romantic stuff people – teenaged girls mostly – fall for. I laid down my bed and put on my headphones. I smiled for the first time today. If there was one thing Edward Cullen and I have for common? The love for music.

My eyes scanned the pages of the script. Kent told me there was a determined amount of differences between the Twilight Saga and this one. I just hope it wouldn't be worse than the former. That would be a disaster.

I grimaced when I came upon the fourth cheesy kissing scene I've caught throughout my scan.

I tapped my fingers in sync against the back of the script as the piano part of the song came.

_Isn't Peter engaged or something? I remembered Jackson mentioning it when he came to jam last weekend. Man, things are gonna get awkward on set._

I heard Liz had a boyfriend too. But I don't think it'll matter that much. Peter _was _married when he played my on-screen father and was coupled with Liz's character. But then again, he and Liz didn't really have that much screen-time.

On some odd change of course of my thoughts, I remember quite vaguely of my working with the two of them. If people would think Kristen and I were having too much PDA off-cam, they haven't witnessed our on-screen parents. And they weren't even a couple! Nikki and Jackson had developed a habit of teasing them, and I don't know if the message they were sending was clear enough to Liz and Peter. There was one thing for sure, it was clear to everyone else on set. When Peter was still unavailable, the teasing were light and subtle and barely anyone would've caught it, but when he became off-the-hook, all hell broke loose. What's bothering is that they haven't at least been sorry for his divorce. And it didn't even look like he was affected at all.

I can never understand those two. There've been talk among the cast that they've deemed themselves with a 'More than friends, less than lovers' relationship, but I suspect Nicole was the one who did just that to her two 'besties' as she'd like to call them.

I haven't seen the both of them, nor the other cast members of this upcoming movie. I wasn't exactly planning on pursuing my acting career further for now, but it seemed to be a waste if I'd decline it. I hope it wouldn't be too boring. And there's that nasty feeling that gave me the feeling of being obligated to do this part. I guess I'll give it a shot. Peter and Liz _were_ fun to work with, I guess.

_I should paint my ceiling blue… Or maybe yellow. Gray looks too sad. _

Just then, Love is Pain played. Joan Jett's lovely voice flooded my head with memories I wanted to set aside. I rubbed my eyes and mumbled, "Stew's song. How ironic."

"_You gotta move on…"_

My close friend's advice rang in my head. _If it were that easy…_

It wasn't going to be the same. As much as I would deny it to the world, I missed shooting the Twilight Saga. I missed those funny moments, the cheesiness of it all, the bloopers, the crew, punching Taylor, my daily jam with Jackson, pranks with Kellan, Nikki's strange love advices, Ashley's slick side-comments, and even the weird Peter and Liz moments.

Not to mention Kristen. I missed being with her every day, being awkward and at the same time comfortable around her, working and knowing who she was behind the cameras…

"_You gotta move on…"_

* * *

**A/N: **_You know the drill._

_Cheers,_

_disYmis_


	14. Chapter 12

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

Peter POV

It was an hour before midnight when I received a phone call from Nikki. I felt emotionally exhausted due to the talk Jaimie and I shared. I never once understood how the things that came out of my mouth held great impact towards her feelings. We lacked in-depth communication, and I appreciate the time we spent talking about it, finding ways on how to solve this problem that burdens the both of us.

I sipped my red wine as I stood in the balcony. The night was fresh and relaxing. I took delight from the silence and tried to clear my head for at least an hour before going to bed, but apparently that's not going to happen when I heard my phone ringing. My head ached a bit but I managed to steer myself to the source of the sound.

I accepted the call and held the phone against my ear.

"Peter?" a soft yet urgent voice uttered.

"Nikki," I smiled, feeling nostalgic again. "How are you?"

"Fine. Listen uh… Gavin just called me. He told me to pick up wherever Liz is,"

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What happened?"

There was a sigh followed by "He said she left in the middle of the night for no reason and drove somewhere. She hasn't been back since. He said he's worried. They recently moved here and don't know the roads very well."

"I'll pick her up,"

"I wanted to, but I'm kind of in a situation in here right now," she paused, some sort of a rustling noise followed. "But I thought that since Liz _must _hold something of importance in your life, I wondered if you could be the one to pick her up,"

"Of course," I mumbled absently. "It's okay Nikki,"

"One more thing. Promise me not to talk to her about anything else. Anything else at all. Just a simple hi hello and you're done. Alright?"

"Wait, what?"

"Promise me,"

By the tone of her voice it'd be better for me not to push it further, so I just agreed.

"Good, and Peter?"

"Yeah?" I said slowly.

"Don't let Gavin see you." she said in a rough voice then hung up.

I stared at my phone for a second and then made my way upstairs. I took my keys and my wallet and eyed Jaimie sleeping soundly in the bed. It'd been a long day for the both of us and I didn't want to wake her up. I silently held a promise that my drive won't be long. I went downstairs and took my brown leather jacket from the rack. A purple jacket that belonged to Jaimie caught my attention as I thought that Liz could be cold from being outside for too long.

I went out the house, locked it and got in my car, dearly hoping for Liz to be okay. I drove to her house not far from here, still in confusion to what Nikki had said on the phone. _Why didn't she want me to talk to Liz? Did something happen? _The last thing Nikki told me made me grip my steering wheel tightly._ What did he do? What made Liz go out in the streets unfamiliar to her? And for no reason?_

I shook my head and looked around the neighborhood. I shouldn't even think about things that doesn't concern me. It was their problem as a couple, but I can't help but think about Liz's well-being. She acted a bit weird during our conversation back at the Seven-eleven's parking lot. The reason has got to be that boyfriend of hers. She's been through enough and I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I wasn't there to prevent that from ever happening again.

Taking out my phone, I dialed her number and pressed call. My eyes darted from house to house if in case Liz can tell exactly where she is, right after I passed by her house.

She picked up after four rings. "Peter?"

Hearing her voice gave me the relief I needed. "Liz stay put, I'm coming after you,"

There was a murmured thanks and she apologized, "I'm sorry for the disturbance,"

"It's not a disturbance," I told her gently.

I assumed she smiled before she said "How did you know?"

"Gavin called,"

There was a small gasp on the other line. "He called you?"

I steered my car around the corner of the street and sped it up. "No. He called Nikki,"

"Oh..."

I let out a small smile. "Can you describe your surroundings for me?"

"Okay, give me a second."

Squinting my eyes, I looked for a yellow car that Liz drives while waiting for her description. I felt thankful I took the time to drive around the last couple of weeks. I now knew the pathways like the back of my hand.

"Peter?"

"Hm?"

"There's a huge tree in here," _pause_ "a pink house and uh," _pause "_there's a... there's a disfigured gnome staring at me from someone's yard."

I laughed. "I'm going as fast as I can,"

That particular garden gnome sparked my memories. My daughters and I drove passed by that disturbing garden ornament days ago. The owner seemed to be proud enough to show it off.

When I continued on the path I set on, I grinned as I spotted Liz's car under a brightly-lit post lamp.

"Anything else?" I asked her.

"Um..."

"Do you see a car driving to you from behind?"

Chuckling, I saw her figure moving inside her car. I drove beside her and rolled the car window down as she did with hers.

The first thing I noticed was the playful smile she wore. "Hi," she said, coupled with an endearing giggle. Her brown hair was pulled into a bun, revealing the elegant curve of her pale neck.

"Good evening miss," I played on, grinning like a fool. "Is something the matter?"

She looked down, her smile disappearing. I wanted to kick myself. After what Jaimie and I talked about all night, I still wasn't careful with what I say.

I bit my lip hard and took the purple jacket I brought with me. I got out of the car and went around it. I felt Liz's eyes following me as I entered her car without permission, seated myself comfortably and handed it to her.

"Oh..." she breathed, taking the jacket from my hand. "Thank you,"

I gazed at her, the moonlight shining on her face. She looked like someone from a silent movie. "You're welcome,"

She wore it, and I watched her as she did. It was oddly comforting. "Are you okay?"

Nodding, she zipped the jacket close and turned to look at me. "I'm fine, Peter,"

I grimaced, knowing that it was a lie. I wanted to talk to her. _Nikki's instructions be damned. _

My nose picked up a lovely scent inside the car, mixed with the cold night air. I controlled my breathing and looked at her again. It was weird that we didn't have anything to talk about to each other. I swore we'd both be yapping away since we hadn't seen each other long enough.

"What are you thinking?" she whispered lowly, like a child who stole candy.

"I just thought that purple suites you," I shrugged, and weren't able to contain a smirk.

I was rewarded by another giggle that I couldn't quite get enough of. _My god... I do miss her so much. _

"Let's go to the park," I murmured. "You and I,"

She raised her eyebrow at me, but kept her smile. "Tonight?"

"Unless you need to go home now," I said, then realizing that she has to be tired. "Wait, never mind."

"No I want us to go,"

Excitement shot through me as I turned to her. "Okay then."

Just then, I saw how her eyes went hazy, like she was dreaming. Her lips turned to smirk, resulting an intimidating dimple that was on both sides of her cheeks. I was drowning in her presence. There was this feeling inside of me that can only be stirred by this woman.

"Fach,"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want _me _to drive?"

I blinked my eyes and began to laugh. Liz joined me and we both sat there and laughed like two little kids. I felt like the weight in my shoulders was never there at all.

Her eyes narrowed to me. "Oh does my driving amuse you that much?"

I shrugged as I was about to get out of the car. "Your sense of direction kinda does."

Her laugh was candy to my ears. I closed her car door and went to my vehicle. I got inside and turned on the engine. I looked at her through the car windows and winked. "Try to keep up sweetheart,"

A big smile played on my lips as I drove. I was thrilled to have her close again, to know that even though we had been apart for long, we were still able to reconnect with each other. I guess I've forgotten what it was like to be with her again. I sighed happily. I couldn't wait to spend the night with Elizabeth.

* * *

**A/N: **_I had no time so I had to split this chapter up. As long as my updates are quick and constant until the story ends. Leave a review because it makes my day._

_And does anyone recognize a song reference in this chapter? ;)_

_Cheers,_

_disYmis_


	15. Chapter 13

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Elizabeth POV

I knew I was supposed to be with Gavin in bed right now, but I pleasantly found myself walking with Peter in the park. Reconciliation with my boyfriend was far from my mind as I shared a light conversation with the man beside me. We were passing by the sparkling lake when he beckoned me to sit down the wooden bench with him.

"This is dangerous," I whispered, smiling at the bright moon shining on the lake.

He smiled from the corner of my eye. "It is,"

I turned to him, mouth-open in shock. "You told me this park was safe!"

"Nowhere's safe," he murmured lowly, containing a smile.

"Especially at almost two in the morning,"

"That's right,"

I smirked and leaned back against the bench and took in the fresh air the cold breeze had to offer. I missed these moments where we could just sit together and gaze at the stars, even in silence.

"I can't believe I'd have to dye my hair again,"

Smiling, I turned to him. I relished his smiling face and stared into his green orbs that seemed to be glowing in this setting we were in.

"You look good being blonde,"

His endearing smile turned into a frown, but the glint of mischief was still visible in his eyes. "_You_ look good being blonde,"

A dry laugh came out of my mouth. "You're not alone, you know. The designers would skip the wig and decide to curl up and dye my hair,"

"That's great,"

I hadn't notice the close proximity we shared sitting in the bench. Momentarily, I felt like we were doing something we shouldn't be, and it was funny feeling this way again.

I clutched the right sleeve of the jacket Peter lent me. It must've belonged to Jaimie. I wasn't too comfortable wearing it as I realized that, even though it smelled of him. A surge of pain traveled from the center of my chest throughout my body. I bit my lip and made sure Peter couldn't see me. _Damn emotions_. I just couldn't enjoy this one night with him without thinking of the fact that he was going to get married soon. Like, why the hell would I care?

The warmth his body emitted was also too much to bear, and I swallowed, planting my gaze on a nearby tree. _I wished I could've just gone home like I was supposed to…_

"Liz?"

"Yeah?" I said, immobile.

"When Nikki called me… She was saying strange things."

_That's not surprising._"Like what?"

"Liz…"

I trailed my eyes down, soothing my tongue over my bitten lips. "Yes Peter?"

A hand suddenly held my arm and I nearly jumped at how warm it was, even if it wasn't directly to my skin. I looked down at his hand and to his face. It was so filled with worry that I wanted to whimper.

"Why aren't you looking at me?"

I nearly cringed. "What?"

"It felt like you were talking to that tree instead of me," he said with a sad smile.

"I…"

"You can talk to me," he whispered softly. His gentle grip on my arm reminded me of Gavin, and how he did the same thing hours ago. I couldn't help but compare them and as always, Peter's touch reigned. Gavin did the action with anger, while Peter did it with concern. My jaw tightened as I was losing myself in the doleful eyes of the man beside of me.

A sob threatened to come out of me when I felt his arms wrapped around my body. My hands were against his chest and my chin on his shoulders. I've never felt so incredibly hot in my entire life.

His hands rubbed my back as he continued, "What happened?"

"I… I don't know what you're talking about," I defended weakly, relocating my hands on his hips. Warmth gathered in my neck as I thought of what we looked like in the third person's point of view.

"I really wish you'd tell me Liz," his motion stopped at the small of my back and I felt his fingers laced together, locking me in his arms.

His scent was overpowering and I was beginning to get dizzy so I rested my head on his shoulders and mumbled, "It was nothing,"

"I thought it was, but I've been seeing it in your eyes lately,"

I shifted in our awkward position and fixed my gaze on another nearby tree.

"I've missed you," I blurted out.

I felt him sigh. "I've missed you too, Liz."

_At least he'll get off the subject… _"I think I've missed you too much,"

He broke his hold in me and I tried not to pull him back. His handsome face greeted me again. He looked so sad it made me even sadder. "It's normal. We've been working together for five years straight. I guess it made that much of an impact on us with the sudden separation,"

_We were never that attached in the first place… _"I suppose…"

He lifted my chin and beamed. "You'll get tired of me soon enough."

There was nothing much to say so I simply smiled. I guess it'd be too obvious if I verbally disagree with him.

We were still very close though, our arms touching. "Have you talked to Rob?" I asked.

"Hmm no. I haven't seen him since. You?"

"No. I just hope he's okay…"

"He'll be fine. He has too much to offer."

"She's not going to be in the movie isn't she?"

"A cameo, perhaps? I don't know."

I yawned and leaned beside Peter. "I wish Nikki would be with us all throughout the film,"

"I wish it too, but this movie's all about Carlisle and Esme. Let's leave the kids for a while,"

I laughed and closed my eyes. "I'm excited to go back on set,"

The last thing I heard was Peter's hum of agreement as stress was slowly washed away from my body, leaving me in utter peace and relaxation.

The day wasn't at all great until my on-screen husband invited me to take a much-needed midnight stroll in the park…

* * *

**A/N: **_Leave a review &amp; keep updated._

_Cheers,_

_disYmis_


	16. Chapter 14

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_Enjoy! R &amp; R_

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Peter POV

I turned on the shower and let the warm water roll down my backside as I felt my muscles relax. It was early dawn, but my body told me its night. I was tired in more ways than one and yet, I felt oddly satisfied. Liz and I talked all through the night. The situation baffled me because I know we both are in need of rest at that time, and yet we found ourselves talking about the most insignificant of things ranging from the iconic garden gnome that saved the night to a guy Liz saw wearing a pink tutu through the window of his house.

A smile played my lips as I stretched my neck out and let the stream of water flow from there down my chest. _That woman can be so random sometimes._ She'd say the weirdest of things during our filming. I liked it. It was different and it gave crazy humor a new name.

I can still remember the memory of the first day we met. I felt unusually nervous being surrounded by new people, and there was no one I knew from the set.

_I fiddled with the strays of my dyed hair and looked around the set. Catherine was giving some pointers to Kristen and Billy, and crew members were walking back and forth, making sure everything was in place. The costume designer kept straightening out the stubborn wrinkle on the lab coat I was wearing. We were going to shoot the scene where Bella gets treated by Dr. Cullen, and as of great honor, I was playing doctor yet again._

_"Why is it that there're so many things out of place?" the hair stylist grumbled, flattening out standing hair strands on my head._

_I smiled at his remark, but then frowned when the make-up artist walked towards me again. She said I needed to make a lasting impression by putting up as much whitening make-up as possible. I recalled the first time I looked at my reflection. It was a completely different man in front of me. Stephanie had told me I appeared exactly what she had in mind._

_The crew finally finished retouching my appearance when Elizabeth Reaser, my on-screen wife came towards me and flashed me a bright smile. My lips automatically twitched up in return. I must've looked very uncomfortable not moving for fear the crew might attack me again._

_She looked at me knowingly. "Good luck doctor," she told me, lifting her hand to press against my shirt, flattening out the small wrinkles. Her touch made my stomach knot for reasons I didn't understand._

_"The designer took so long to even out the wrinkles of your lab coat that he didn't see the ones on your shirt," she murmured, smiling when she achieved her task and in making me gather heat around my neck. It was a very strange place to touch. I guess I just got overwhelmed by it. How ridiculous._

_I stared at her - this odd woman, whom I had barely known for a week. I didn't know if we were even friends or something; we had only exchanged brief greetings, and that was it. We haven't shot a scene together yet, but I had a feeling she would be wonderful to work with._

_"Thank you," I said wryly._

_She looked amused. Then as though a thought passed her, she spoke. "Wanna go get coffee later?"_

_I opened mouth but then Catherine beckoned me behind Elizabeth. I move passed her, not without gently touching her arm and accepted her offer._

_Within a week later, we'd become close friends. She'd share things with me I never expected she would, and I to her. She was very humorous and outgoing, smart and witty. She was usually the first one to laugh at the dirty jokes the cast member shared with each other. She and I would share a look and burst out laughing. The other cast members would just eye us with curiousity. But we'd never share inside jokes. There was a reason it was called that way._

_"I'm craving for cake," Elizabeth suddenly said in between a scene demo. Nicole chuckled while others had their mouth's half-open, staring questionably at her._

_"Hmm… Chocolate," I added quietly for diversion. The director gave us a friendly glare and told us cut._

_It was that time of shooting when we were experiencing a phase known as 'sanity deficiency'. I think I had it permanent no thanks to Liz._

I made a turn and let the full force of the water hit my back. I lifted my head up for it to reach the top of my head, a smile still in my lips.

_"Okay that's a wrap for today! Peter, Elizabeth, I have a scene for you." Catherine announced._

_I gave Liz an excited glance as we followed Catherine. We moved to another room where a huge mahogany table centered the area. We sat on the chairs, scripts already laid out on the table._

_"You're not gonna scold us for acting weird on set, are you?" Liz said with a grimace._

_Catherine chuckled. "It makes the job more interesting." It does, I thought. "Anyway, I've came up with a scene. In addition to the previous one we just did…" she trailed off and took the papers on the table. Her eyes skimmed through it. I couldn't contain such anticipation that I glanced at Liz again, giving her a wide smile. She smirked in return. The more scenes, the better._  
_"Ah, here it is. It's where your characters talk about Edward's attachment to Bella. I've talk to Steph about it, and she agreed to do this scene." She handed us the scripts. "It's short, so we'll do it first thing tomorrow."_  
_We stood up from where we were seated and headed out the room. We parted ways with the director. We went to take off our the golden contact lenses and let the artists take out our white make-up._

_"I feel kinda tired Peter," Liz said beside me afterwards. "I think I'll pass for tonight."_

_I felt a yawn coming. I think watching a movie after today wasn't really a good idea. "Yeah, I guess we didn't expect for us to be this tired."_  
_She nodded, letting out a yawn that triggered mine. "See you," she squeezed my arm and went in the opposite direction._  
_I barely read the script as I lied down my bed in my room. I soon fell asleep, hoping everything will go out as planned for tomorrow._

I slathered body wash over the parts of my body, beginning on my neck down my stomach. It's funny how I do most of my trip down the memory lane in the most cliched place possible. But still, I did it anyway_._

_It was early in the morning when I read the script for the scene. Everything was the usual until…_

_ESME _

_CARLISLE, BELLA is what he wants._

_ESME pushes CARLISLE against the wall._

_ESME_

_It'll work out, somehow._

_CARLISLE puts his hands on ESME's jaw and closes the distance between them._

_CARLISLE _

_You're a hopeless romantic._

_CARLISLE kisses ESME and ESME backs away from camera's view. CARLISLE follows her._

_-END SCENE_

_ Excitement swirled in my belly as I reread the whole thing. A kissing scene with Elizabeth Reaser. Had I know this last night, I wouldn't have been be able to sleep right away._  
_I pushed the thought of the possible awkwardness that might form between us away from my head. I've been doing this kind of scenes for years, so why was I feeling a bit uneasy? I had gotten so close with her within a short period of time and I won't let this put a gap between us._  
_I paced around the room and memorized my line. Esme has to push me against the wall… dear god. Okay, okay. She then would back away when I kiss her. So it would just be a smooch then. No extra toppings. Got it._

_Surely Carlisle deserves much more than that…_

_I stopped my pacing. Where the hell did that thought come from?_  
_I read the lines out loud and dismissed the thoughts that followed._  
_"Not often… mm__… You're a hopeless romantic,"_

_Are those lips as soft as they looked?_

_I stared at the script in my hands, and groaned. __Goddammit you're married for Christ's sake!_

_I recited my lines for the last time and stormed out of my room to get ready. I guess Liz must've read the script by now. I hope she doesn't react strongly about it. I'm afraid it might set an irregular rhythm for the beating of heart._

_I sighed, and scratched my lightly-stubbled jawline. Now I magically became as poetic as fuck! That's jolly good to know._

My closed eyes squinted. The water coming out of the shower head was becoming less warm, and I almost already shivered. I let out a grunt and pressed my hands on the tiled wall.

_With my cosmetics finished, I went to our designated place to shoot. And just then, our eyes met. She already had her contacts on too. We kept walking until we reached the set._

_"Hi," I voiced out, appreciating on how she fit Esme perfectly by the descriptions of the book._

_"Hi," she said, and I swore she blushed. Excitement, an old friend, bubbled up inside of me again._

_The crew was almost finished setting up. Liz and I were quiet and watched them. I let my eyes wander and I wonder why out of all the things, would they land on her lips. It just simply had to be on her lips._

_I admired the gentle curve of her ruby lips, but as much as it looked great on her, they had applied to much lipstick. It hides the true beauty of a woman's lips._

_I tore my gaze away from her and for once thankful that the cosmetics came to us again._  
_One of them dabbed a cotton on my right temple. "Jack?" she called out. The man, who I supposed was Jack came to her. She continued to dab, now across my forehead. "Could you lower the heater please?"_  
_I felt rigid when she put on more white make-up. Was I sweating? Dear Lord… What has happened to me?_  
_Liz nervously glanced up at me and wore a small smile._  
_After everything was in place, and a short discussion on what we'll have to act out, Catherine called for action._

_Liz and I looked out the window. There was nothing there, but we just had to pretend we saw Bella and Edward climbing up a tree. It's the green screen's job for now._

_"She's brought him to life," Liz recited, turning away from the scenery. I followed suit. "He's been alone too long, but how could it end well?"_

_"Alice has been wrong before," she continued, comfortable with my arm around her. I pulled her body to me and it made me feel somewhat funny that she fit perfectly beside me. "Not often." I rubbed her sleeveless arm and can't help comparing it with touching a flower's petal._

_We kept walking towards the camera when Liz stopped next to me."Carlisle, Bella is what he wants." I looked longingly at her, making an obvious presentaton that I was very well expecting a kiss when she pressed her palms on the same place where she had flattened out the wrinkles on my shirt and wished me goodluck. My smile appeared and grew as she pushed me against the wall with feminine force. Guilt rose up my chest right after feeling what every man can possibly feel in a situation like this. I fought it in and did my part of actions. Liz eyes sparkled, a hint of something I can't quite place swam in the depths of it. _

_"It'll work out, somehow." I held her face between my hands and brought it closer to mine._

_One l__ine left… "You're a hopeless romantic." I added a part of rubbing our noses together. Her scent was intoxicating and I was all too willing to drown in it. I slowly pressed my lips to hers. Out of the camera's view, Liz's grip tightened on my shirt. A knot in my stomach began as I very briefly moved my lips against hers and subtly pushed against her when she pulled back for our lips to dettach at the right moment._

_"Cut!" the director called out. We stood there, watching each others' reaction before turning to Catherine._

_She urgently moved to us and gestured her open hands downwards in a fast manner. "A little quicker, okay?"_

_"Quicker?" Liz said, sounding almost breathless. My eyes shot down to her lips. Her lips on my lips was as soft as her skin against mine..._

_Another take… _

I turned off the shower, beginning to feel like something was coming 'alive'. _Curse this nature of a man_! I'd have had too much remembering in one go. I think I might have lost contact on reality until I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I quickly turned my head and saw Jaimie standing next to me. I haven't even felt her coming until the physical contact.

"Peter…"she whispered, her hand moved to the back of my neck. I leaned down and gave her a quick kiss, "I'd have to go to bed now, honey. I'm very tired."

Jaimie deepened the kiss and pulled away with a pout. "Okay…"

I smiled, and kissed her forehead and pulled back seeing she had no clothes on. _Bloody hell, I hadn't even realized she came in naked!_ Was I that too lost in my memories? I got out and put on a fresh shirt and a pair of boxers. I yawned and murmured a good night to Jaimie in the shower. She laughed lowly and told me it was already morning. I didn't hear the rest of what she said when I dozed off right after my body hit the bed.

* * *

_A/N: A chapter for the week. Leave a review &amp; keep updated. Let me know what you think! _

_A shoutout to Nina Guarino for taking an effort in reading my story x) Thank you to all of you who are continually supporting this story. I am at times, experiencing writer's block but when I find out about the reviews, it pushes me out outside the box. I promise to create chapters that would be able to bring out your inner 'hopeless romantics'. Please bare with me throughout the series. God bless you all. :)_

_Cheers (with love),_

_disYmis_


	17. Chapter 15

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 15**

Elizabeth POV

"_Thanks again for saving me," I sighed happily. "And for the talk,"_

_He smiled dazzlingly at me. I felt guilty for having him up this late, looking tired and worn-out. He told me that it was no big deal, so I didn't make it one. __We were both standing outside my house after we drove ourselves to my address. The sky was already hinting that the night was far over, but the temperature still hadn't change since hours ago. I looked up at him with a sad smile._

"_You're welcome," he sighed back, taking hold of my elbow and squeezing it. "It was wonderful seeing you again."_

_Butterflies flew and swarmed my stomach. "You don't know the half of what I felt seeing you again," I murmured, casting my eyes down in embarrassment._

_I heard a chuckle before looking up to him again. "I think I do," he said, his eyes shining appreciatively._

_My heart gave a corresponding thump. Blood rushed through my veins, gathering around my neck. Damn this man and his perfection. If he wasn't just so amazing, I'd let go of him sooner. But no; he chose this. He chose to be my object of attraction, and he doesn't even know it._

_I began moving to the front of my house and felt Peter's hand let go of my arm. I wish we could spend a little more time today, but my body demanded to be put to bed right now. He put his hands in his pockets as we stopped at my door._

"_Goodnight…" I whispered moving closer to him, taking in his scent and warmth as much as I can. I reached out for the doorknob when I felt a hand on my arm again._

"_I'm looking forward to a red-headed Liz Reaser,"_

_I was meant to laugh but thought not now as Peter closed the distance between us and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. A huge smile formed my lips as he pulled away and turned to leave, leaving a hot mark on the side of my face._

_He walked to his car, and got inside. I waved at him, and he smiled through his car window. I turned around and unlocked the door, moving inside at the same time hearing a car speed off._

_The amazing feeling I had died quickly as I took in the sight before me. I shook my head and climbed upstairs, growing tired of giving a shit all the time. I let the amazing feeling resurface again, but even that couldn't get pass my exhaustion. I dozed off quickly as I hit the bed._

I peered at the woman in the mirror. She had her hair properly combed for future curling. It fell upon her shoulders like bellows of soft caramel. A look of hysteria was on her face; it was as though she disliked hair coloring so much, she looked like someone who felt actually guilty for pleasing a friend who otherwise liked it.

"Stop looking at yourself like that," Donna scolded, giving me a look of annoyance. "It creeps _me_ out."

"Are you sure this is the right color?" I touched my hair. "I think it's too light,"

"Oh shush. It's perfect."

"You'd say that,"

She glared at me through my reflection. "It's fine,"

I _considered_ it was. Usually, when that woman says it's fine, she means it. She was one of the most reliable people I've come to know. Donna was a gifted hair stylist who unfortunately, wasn't able to do my hair back when we were filming Twilight due to some conflicts we had. A wig wasn't the most comfortable thing to wear, but a stylist recommended it because of what she supposed that Esme's hair can't be possibly presented with mine. When Donna inspected me carefully and said it _was _possible, I've just come realize it was the lack of trying than the lack of limitations.

_On the other hand, Peter looked gorgeous with his dyed hair._

A smile formed my lips as the memory of the two of us in the park at three in the morning crossed my mind again. It has been crossing ever since. It was a wonderful feeling of reconnection. I was actually glad I stormed out of the house that night. After our reunion I came back to the house, finding Gavin asleep on the couch. There were more bottles of beer in the coffee table. I felt ten times as pissed off to have realized that instead of looking for me that night, he spent the time drinking his ass off.

"Oh don't stop now. I was planning to get some popcorn. Seeing you continually change your expression is amusing to watch."

The amount of anger I had in store vanished when I laughed. Hard. It was _such_ a good feeling to reconnect with old friends.

"I bet you're thinking of that hot guy you'll work with again," Donna said, waggling her eyebrows.

"I am," I replied with a smirk.

She raised an eyebrow at me while continually mixing her concoction in a bottle. "I knew it,"

I grimaced and turned away from my reflection. "You do, don't you?"

_Everyone does… I made it seem so obvious for the past five years. I was everything but subtle. I even tweeted that I was sort of falling in love with him. I was overflowing with both joy and sorrow that I wanted to make a lasting impression. And I did. Online. And him getting engaged months later._

"Liz?" a voice called out.

I raised my eyes. "Yeah?"

Donna's curvaceous figure stood behind me, with a bottle of some kind of dark mixture in her hands. Her thick light brown hair was swept sideways, resting on her right shoulder. Her eyes were striking as she looked at me.

"You've been shifting expressions every few seconds," she spoke out, lightly tapping on my hair with her fingers. "One minute you're smiling, the next looking like you lost that dog you love so much."

_Luther. I wonder how he was… He was at my cousin's ever since I had decided I needed to take a break from him. I felt bad but I knew he won't really mind._ _I do miss waking up with him by my side though. But I think it's better if I leave him there for a while longer. Who knew if Gavin drinks another round of beers and in his drunken haze, let the poor dog out?_

"You're doing it again!"

I let out a sigh. "It's called thinking Donna, I'm sure you've heard of it," I sneered, and almost immediately feeling guilty.

A mumbled, 'woah' came out of her mouth as she pulled her hand away from my hair like it was on fire or something. Her expression was obviously exaggerated, with her palms were held out as she walked away from me.

"Come on Donna…" I groaned. _Melodramatic, that's what she is._

She looked skeptically at me. "Are you menopausal?" she said in a straight tone.

My glare sent daggers. "Seriously?"

Her shoulders made a shrug as she moved to the wooden dresser where she kept her hair products. She opened a drawer and shuffled inside. "It's perfectly normal, honey. I have some pills here that could-"

"Just stop."

Her head turned to me. "So you're not...?"

"Just do what you need to do already," I scowled.

She made a face and continued shuffling the contents of her drawer. I swear to god if she lets out the pills she was talking about, I'm gonna…

"Hell Liz, you've been acting like a bitch lately. If it ain't your hormones talking here, then what is?"

I crossed my arms, avoiding the sight of my reflection. "I really was just thinking. What more explanation do you need?" I answered gruffly.

"Yep. Definitely bitchy." she sang. "Oh here it is,"

I looked up and saw her holding curlers of different sizes. "You think _that_ could hold my hair?"

She gasped mockingly. "Now I'm a hundred percent sure about my speculation," she said, coming towards me. She shot an ensuring smile to my reflection before placing her needed materials on the table beside me. "Just trust me, woman. We'll make sure you'd look good beside that man that runs inside your head every hour of the day."

* * *

"I need drinks…"

I was cutting my nails near the window of my house, with my phone on my shoulder pressing against my ear. "Oh believe me, I do too."

"I've never been this desperate to go out and drink all night,"

A laugh vibrated my chest. "You were, and it didn't turn out so well."

"Let's just say Kellan didn't appreciate his favorite band T-Shirt getting redecorated that night,"

I almost cut my entire nail out as I laughed again, looking out the window. The sky was darkening, and I wondered where Gavin was. He left me a note of apology this morning, saying he'll be back soon to make it up to me for last night.

"You know he nearly wanted to post the picture of it on Twitter," I muttered back absent-mindedly.

"Too bad he didn't then," Nikki giggled. "But I think it'd be a better hit on Ebay."

I let out a smile. I was glad Nikki was high on spirits again. Worry doesn't even begin to cover what I felt the last time we talked.

Leaning against the smooth wall, I shivered when the cold surface hit me. My recently transformed caramel curls were sprawled on my shoulders. Donna did a great job despite my bitchy attitude earlier. I apologized right after, telling her that it was just some personal issues I hate dealing with. We had a short conversation afterwards regarding those issues and how to take care of my hair. It was funny hearing her alternate between the two.

"I already got my hair dyed," I mentioned, finishing off cutting the nails of my second hand.

"Ooh! Send me a pic,"

I grinned. "Or you could see me in person."

"So we _are_ going out tonight?" she asked, failing to mask her excitement.

"Yeah. I've finished everything I need to do for the shooting."

"So you already went for the fitting?"

I nodded, though Nikki can't see me. I put away the nail cutter and took the phone between my ear and shoulder, transferring it to my other ear. "Hmm. My clothing style in this movie is really different from the previous one I had."

"Does it scream sexy instead of motherly?"

Chuckling, I opened my wardrobe and searched for my choice of clothing for tonight. "It definitely does,"

"Finally something that'd do your figure justice," Nikki snickered. "Are we really going tonight?"

I dragged my hand across the soft fabric of the three choices of clothes I've narrowed down. "Yes, Nikki. And before you ask; no, I'm not gonna wait for him to come home. I'll leave him a note too. It'll be like grade school where we leave each other love notes."

"Not exactly what I call love notes," she mumbled, distracted. I supposed she was doing the same thing I was doing: being indecisive on what to wear.

"I didn't realize I too wanted to go out drinking until you offered, Nikki."

"You're welcome, Liz. You're gonna need it after all. When you start filming, good luck finding time to do so." she said. "You know, we should invite Peter."

I took my deliberately-chosen clothes to wear; a square-neckline black slip dress with lace. "No way. I need a girls-only night out. Plus – I've got an essay ready to talk to you about that's not for _him_ to hear."

There was silence. I was searching for a cover-up when Nikki spoke out, "Okay,"

I bit my lip, and pulled out a black leather jacket from the closet. _Nikki just wanted to see Peter again, and here I was – Pulling off a drama just because seeing him again triggers the ache I had in my chest._

"On second thought, let's invite him." I quickly added, making my way to the bathroom.

I heard a loud noise of something breaking, followed by a murmured profanity.

"Nikki? Are you alright?" I asked, concern evident in my voice.

"Yeah, the damn vase wanted to be broken so it did,"

I entered the bathroom. "Is breaking vases your hobby now?"

It wasn't odd for me to ask her this. She told me that knitting woolen breasts was once her past-time activity.

"Ah no. I've had close-calls with it. It was just now it finally did its purpose. I think I just got excited I accidentally knocked it off… Anyway, it's fine Liz. I understand you want a girls' night out. Honestly, I don't want to see Peter anytime soon. I'm still pretty pissed about that I-didn't-tell-my-best-fucking-friends-I'm-going-to-get-married thing."

I turned on the faucet, took my toothbrush from its cup and held it under running water. "You gotta let that go, Nikki." I told her. "I did."

"Yeah right." she snorted. I pictured her rolling her eyes. "Call me when you're ready,"

"Are _you_?" I laughed.

She made a puffing sound. "Hell yes. I've been ready minutes ago. When you mentioned that you felt re-energized after ten hours of sleep, I ran straight to my closet."

I shook the water off my toothbrush and made an 'I'm impressed' look. "You are very observant Ms. Reed, for that I am forever grateful." I said in a formal manner.

She cleared her throat before she replied, "Oh you flatter me too much Ms. Reaser. Forgive me for being forward but I suggest it better you go and prepare yourself for this evening. Or I shall wait to dust. You see, dryness is what I feel now, and I'm in dire need of a liquid such as those served in-"

"Okay, okay. I get it Nikki," I smirked. "I shall do my best to aid you of that dryness."

"Oh god Liz, that sounded weird."

"Holy crap it did."

We both gave let out a laugh before we finally put down our phone. After applying toothpaste, I brushed my teeth and admired what people would envision when reading Esme's hair description. I turned my head side-to-side and was feeling giddy when it bounced about.

I can't wait to shoot the movie, to be Esme Cullen again; the loving, caring and wonderful vampire mother who lacked recognition in the past Twilight movies. People will see a different side of her, a side that shows that the loving, caring and wonderful mother she was wasn't what she began with, a side that shows the reason why Carlisle Cullen fell only for her after his two-hundred plus years of existence, a side that shows that she wasn't weak in spite of not having 'cool' gifts, or great vampire abilities.

A side of her that reveals the fact that this one thing called _love_ can take you a long way.

* * *

**A/N: **_Let me know what you think :)_

_So I uploaded this earlier but the chapter didn't show :/ _

_Cheers,_

_disYmis_


	18. Chapter 16

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 16**

Nikki POV

I entered Le Danse Macabre, an exclusive, newly-opened premise in the city. I nearly tripped at the entrance, and thank god I didn't. It would be unimaginably embarassing in front of these high-profilers who glide instead of walk. I guess I was wrong when I thought I could still handle these pair of stilettos I got when I was still hitting clubs like I owned it.

I acted natural as I strode pass by a bunch of classy men and women whom I felt eyes from. I turned away from them and hid behind my hair. I searched for an empty table, and found one in the far corner. Perfect.

The awkward journey from here to there ended when I sat on the comfy leather chair, propping my elbows on the surprisingly warm table. I took out my phone and checked the time.

I gently patted my hair and ran down my fingers through it. The music here was enchanting - controlling people like puppets as they moved freely on the dance floor. People with high-end clothing and fancy jewelry shared laughter and exchanged words from table to table. The area was well-lit and matched the mood and aura everyone was emitting. But what got me most excited were the drinks. If this place could impress people with both its interior and exterior, I can be sure it can with its beverages too.

The DJ took it up a notch and people started to join in the dance party. As if on cue, red-headed Elizabeth appeared at the entrance. I raised my hand up and waved at her. She scanned the area and caught my signal.

I smirked at her when she waved back at me, making her way across the dance floor. I knew she wanted to dance later, but I wasn't joking about the dryness thing so I better be liquided up before we hit cloud nine.

She basically scampered towards her destination. The woman still surprises me with her sense of fashion. The black slip dress she wore complimented well on her pale skin, and damn I better be avoiding junk foods for awhile if I wanted to keep up with her. She had a figure that turned heads, and unlike me, she didn't seem to care about the attention.

I stood up and in a flash, we were locked in an embrace. Her thick hair tickled my exposed skin, and we pulled away from each other. We had huge, excited smiles on our faces as we sat down our chairs.

"You look glamorous, darling." she complimented sweetly.

I beamed. "You're the one to talk, I've seen at least five men's jaw drop down the dance floor."

A sinister laugh bubbled out of her, as she called for a waiter. Her dyed hair really made her look like the real deal. "Introduce to me your hair stylist, will you? She did a great job." I reached out to touch her hair.

"Yeah, her name's Donna Kinsley. She could've done our hair in the movie if it wasn't for a project she dedicated herself to."

"Tsk, that's too bad."

A rather handsome dark-haired man appeared in a waiter's clothing. I shot Liz a grin and she smiled back before we looked up to him.

"What can I get you two lovely ladies?" the words rolled off his tongue smoothly. Holy crap, even the waiters here were eye-candy.

Liz grazed her fingers across her lips in a seductive manner and glanced knowingly at me. _Once a flirt, always a flirt_. I thought as I chuckled and kept a straight face.

"We'll have two of the best you got," Liz answered sensually, caressing her left hand against her right wrist.

The waiter grinned. "It'll be delivered shortly." he replied in a same manner, sending me a nod and Liz a wink.

"You minx!" I accused with a giggle when the waiter left. "Even the waiter?"

She playfully slapped my hand. "Hey you gotta admit, he brought sexy back!"

We both laughed, and I was beginning to feel comfortable. People kept coming in, and the club was starting to get crowded. I was glad for the table I chose because it was really a one-way direction coming here. It meant the only ones that came near us were the ones who had the intention of coming to our table. The lights began to flicker in some parts of the area, and the music was really getting me going.

"Oh I can't wait to dance," Liz said with an excited ring to her tone. I turned to her and nodded enthusiastically. "The music's really nice."

"How did you find out about this place?" she asked, looking around.

"From a friend; she knows the owner."

"I see a couple of actors here. Look there's James Franco," she pointed out.

I saw him talking to a group of young actors I can only recognize from Indie films. "Oh wow, he does look cute,"

"Getting any ideas, Nicole?" Liz smirked. I made a face, and was welcomed again by the hottie who took our orders coming towards us with our drinks.

"Seeing him carry our drinks makes me wanna ravish the man out of his uniform," I whispered. I could've blushed if I was anywhere else, but now the club's feeling has gotten to me.

"I bet he could cure your lack of moisture,"

"Ladies, your drinks." The waiter said as he arrived at our table. "The Macabre's Mango Martini," he presented with a proud smirk. "Enjoy,"

"Oh we will," Liz added quietly, both of us inspecting the drinks. The liquid was an almost glowing bright yellow seasoned by some kind red powder that made the drink look twice as attractive. A slice of lime was put at the mouth of the elegant cocktail glass that my hands curved around.

Liz held it to her nose. "It smells intoxicating..."

I did the same, and I smiled in agreement. I didn't fancy Martinis much. I preferred Mojitos, especially the Mexican one. But when I first took a sip of it, my eyes closed in delight. The taste was quite potent, and even though it was bitter and dry, the sweetness from the mango balanced it out.

"I think I might really be drunk tonight," my mouth said on its own accord.

"Well that makes the two of us." she replied, obviously reacting to the drink the same way I did.

I let out a breath through my mouth that resulted to a dry cough. Liz, being Liz, simply laughed at me and drank some more.

"What an irresponsible mother you are! I could've choked to death you know!" I huffed.

"I've just realized that you_ do_ need a drink. You looked like you had an orgasm after taking a mere sip."

I rolled my eyes. "So hopeless romantic, where's that essay you prepared for me?"

Liz chuckled, and hung her head down. "I'm really glad you called Peter to come and pick me up that night,"

I nodded, picking my glass up and made a rotating motion to stir up what's already a heavenly mix. _But eh, old habits die hard_. "So that's just what he did?"

She hummed in confusion.

"He picked you up. Just like that," I asked, failing to mask in the suspicious ring to my tone.

"He then dropped me off at my house of course," she replied.

I shook my head, and noticing someone eyeing us from afar. But I couldn't quite make out of his face under the dim light. "You guys talked?"

I've already confirmed my suspicion and that of Peter's break of promise the moment Liz's eyes lit up. "Sure! Till morning, might I add. Gosh… it was wonderful reconnecting with him."

I pressed my lips together. I knew what was going on back when we were filming. Unlike everyone else on set, I wasn't clueless.

"That was certainly a different reaction the last time you talked to me in the phone about meeting him again at that parking lot." I spoke bitterly.

I regretted what I said when Liz's expression changed. She avoided my eyes, and turned sideways.

"I'm sorry," I choked out. "I didn't mean-"

"It's alright," she smiled, albeit forced. "Thanks anyway, for telling him to pick me up."

I nodded slowly, tapping my fingers on the surface of the table. I still felt like someone was watching us, but I pushed away the feeling.

_Way to ruin the night Nikki_, I thought. _She wanted a girl talk, not a girl criticism_.

"Did he… was he different when you spoke to him?"

She trailed her finger around the mouth of her martini glass and had a thoughtful look on her face.

"You know Nikki, no. He wasn't different. In fact, he…"

I moved closer to her. "What?"

Her lips quirked into a smile. "He was sweeter… I don't know,"

My right eye squinted as I leaned back. I wet my lips with my tongue before I spoke, "So you're telling me, he was sweeter on the grounds of being with him for a few hours than working with him for five years?"

"Jesus Nikki," she said, her eyes wide. "Don't look so alarmed, will you? It's scaring me. You're making me think I did something I wasn't supposed to do."

"Did you?"

"What?!"

I let out a deep sigh, and pressed a finger against my right temple_. Okay okay. Back away now._ My subconcious warned me._ You're in no place for accusations._

"It's the martini." I murmured, staring down at my drink."It's doing weird things to my head,"

"Umm… Are you alright?" she asked quietly. Guilt made me swallow hard. It was so horrible lying to her like this. Why was I accusing her of such things anyway? If what happened on set, happened. It was never my business. I wasn't even sure if it did happen.

But I really wanted for Liz not to get hurt. Getting closer to Peter might do just that…

"Look Liz. I'm sorry for acting weird. I'm just… not in a right place right now," I mumbled.

"Do you wanna get outta here?"

I almost glared at her. "Oh hell no. Not until I reach to a point where I can't remember any of this,"

She laughed. "It was a metaphor. Of course."

"No shit sherlock," I told her, smiling. The mood shifted back to a light one. There was no use for denying the inevitable anyway. I should know better.

Taking another sip of my drink, I noticed the guy who gave us glances wasn't there in his seat anymore. Liz turned her head, and back at me with a look on her face that demanded answers.

"There was a guy who kept looking at us," I answered her already predicted question.

I added when she turned her head again. "He's gone,"

Her hair bounced as she moved her head. It was gorgeous to look at. She smirked, as if reading my thoughts. "Was he hot?"

My hand came up to my neck as I chuckled. It was a mandatory question. "I'd know if he was nearer,"

She gave me one of her signature lop-sided smiles. For a moment, I totally thought I have Esme in front of me. Though, it would have added effect if only Carlisle was beside her.

"Nikki… How's everything? I really think we've been talking about me all night. What about you?"

I crossed my arms. "Liz, I've been yapping about my life just this afternoon. And honestly, I'm beginning to get sick of it. It's not like interesting stuff are happening to me recently."

"Stop saying that. Face it, everything that comes out of your mouth is interesting to me."

I couldn't hold back a grin. "Thanks Liz. But really, I want to know about something anyway." She urged me to keep going. "Why did you go out that late last night? God, you nearly gave me a heart attack."

She sheepishly smiled as she brought her drink to her lips, emptying the glass in one gulp. Placing it down, she stood up and pulled me by my arm.

"Come on, I want seconds." she decided. I took my purse and we then made our way to where the bar counter was. We passed by recognizable stars that caused me to only gape at them, momentarily questioning if they were truly there. Liz didn't seem to care less.

We reached the counter and sat on the stools. There were a considerable amount of handsome men and beautiful women occupying the other stools. I couldn't help but stare at them.

"Geez, is someone here not rich and gorgeous?" I said outloud.

Liz only laughed and shook her head after she ordered the same drinks. I unconciously pulled the ends of my dress down when I felt it ride up my thighs. I looked to Liz and chuckled as I see her almost sizing up people walking to and fro.

"You look like you're grocery shopping," I stated, turning my body to face her.

"What kind of woman do you take me for?" she asked, glaring at me.

Shock must have been written all over my face when she threw her head back and laughed. "I was kidding. Here, you need more drink." she handed me another glass of the mango martini I was starting to go crazy about. I gave her a grateful smile and indulged in the drink.

"You didn't answer my question, you know."

She briefly shook her head. "Let's just say Gavin didn't like the idea of me playing as Dr. Cullen's timid wife,"

"Oh screw that. I'm gonna hate you if you back out now,"

She scoffed. "No way. I'm going to play the doctor's wife. I don't need anyone's approval,"

"That's the spirit!"

We both turned to look at the man who uttered it. I swore my entire being shook with excitement as I gather in a very very nice view of Kellan Lutz in tights in front of us.

"Kellan!" Liz shrieked, jumping off her stool and hugged the life out of the man.

"Hey guys," he grinned happily, hugging her back. I came next, appreciating that he wore the same perfume I liked back when we were filming.

"You two are the very epitome of sexy," he said, eliciting a giggle from Liz and smirk from me.

"You're not bad yourself," I told him, eyeing him up and down. The gray shirt he was wearing did a favorable frontal view for lonely ladies to enjoy and single men to envy. I then realized that he was the one who kept glancing back at us earlier.

"You've been watching us, haven't you?" I teased, poking him at his chest.

He let out a hearty laugh and gestured for the bar tender for a drink. "That, I did."

"So where have you been? It's been so long," Liz began.

"Modeling. Right after The Legend of Hercules, I thought I'd go back to showing off these bad boys," He grinned, flexing his biceps. "You two? I heard Liz got a leading role in a new Twilight movie,"

"That explains this," Liz gestured to her hair.

"You look great being ginger," Kellan said, receiving the drink he ordered from the bartender. Liz smiled, leaning against the counter and crossing her arms. I took my seconds and relished the flavor. This is officially my new favourite beverage. The three of us continued chatting when the music was beginning to call to me.

"You guys wanna dance?" I offered, putting down my third drink of the night.

Liz did the same with hers and tossed her hair back. "It'll be my utmost pleasure, darling. Kellan?"

He turned to me, and cocked his head toward Liz. "What you said,"

I led them to the dance floor where people were letting go of themselves through dancing. Liz initiated by swaying her hips from side to side. I followed, pumping my hands up in the air. Kellan pursed his lips in concentration as he did the same. We laughed and blended in with others. The lighting was continually flickering. The scent of the night reached my nostrils, and the heat felt great on my skin. Stress was slowly shedding off of me as I moved with reckless passion, with all the pent-up angst lost in the music.

"Woo go Nikki!" Kellan cheered, his voice distant. I opened my eyes and found myself grooving in front of James Franco. He flashed me an amazing smile that flushed me completely, but did nothing to my dancing. Instead, I smirked and closed my eyes again.

"No. I'm not going anywhere."

I reopened my eyes and saw a standing figure in front of Liz. Anger was obvious in her stance, causing me to stop my movements. I came towards the both of them, ignoring the rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins.

"That guy was throwing himself at you! We _will_ leave. _Now_."

_Gavin_.

"Not this bullshit again."

The music was loud enough to cover their argument, but not enough to keep me from hearing it. Liz saw me, her expression exasperated.

Gavin turned to me, he then took a deep breath and put his hand on his hip and the other fisting his hair. "Great. She invited you, didn't she?"

"That's none of your fucking business." Liz hissed. I came to her side and touched her arm to calm her down. Her boyfriend came closer to her and spatted, "We were supposed to talk tonight."

"Says the man who did nothing when I was lost in the damn neighborhood," she spatted back.

"You know very well I'm not familiar with the roads here!"

"Woah, woah."

A hand came up to one of Gavin's shoulders and pulled him away from Liz. He glared at Kellan.

"There's no need to act like that to a lady, don't you think?" Kellan said, letting go of his grip on Gavin's shoulder when he felt his eyes glaring at his hand.

We were getting noticed by people around us. They kept their distance, and I don't want to get any more unwanted attention.

"Guys, people are looking at us." I stated quietly, warily alternating my gaze on Gavin and Kellan.

"Yeah. Elizabeth and I were just about to leave," Gavin said lowly, grabbing Liz's hand.

"Hey take it easy, man." Kellan warned, his eyes serious.

Liz sighed. "It's okay, Kellan. We'll just go,"

"Liz…" I muttered, gently rubbing her arm.

She glanced at me and gave me a sad smile. Touching my hand, I let go of her as she nodded at Kellan.

"I'll see you two later," she told us. I hated the way Gavin left us with an apologetic look on his face. I couldn't believe he just barged into this place and forced Liz to go home. She was at her house the whole day and where was he?

"What an ass," Kellan muttered beside me.

I scoffed and shook my head. "He's been holding her captive. It's driving me crazy,"

"Forget about it. Liz knows how to handle him. Come on,"

I followed Kellan to the counter; the scene still fresh in my mind. That was just downright unacceptable. I had expected Liz to stand her ground, but I guess she didn't for the sake of humility. Something that jerk doesn't seem to have. I'll talk to her about this. It's not normal anymore, and it'll only get worse when they start filming. I just hope what Kellan said was true.

* * *

_A/N: For those curious about what Nikki meant about her accusations, just PM me. Sorry for the late update. Thank you for reading. Leave a review &amp; keep updated._

_Cheers,_

_disYmiss_


	19. Chapter 17

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_R &amp; R. Sorry for late upload. Life was being life again._

* * *

**Chapter 17**

Gavin POV

Storming out after an argument was one thing, and going out partying and flirting with a stranger was another. I've never felt angrier as I was now in a relationship. She should have at least called me. I still have no idea what I was so damn frustrated about. Also adding insult to injury, Liz hadn't considered that I was drunk stupid that night. She didn't even wake me up when she came back! _What am I going to do with this woman?_

"One night Gavin, I asked for one single night."

_Apparently nothing I'd ever do would work._

I rasped. "While you were out partying with Nicole, I was at my brother's house –"

"Let me guess," she mocked, cutting me off as I was stopping the car at her house. I gripped the steering wheel tightly."You were telling him you got a mov– "

"He got injured!" I exclaimed, finding it difficult not to direct my glare at her. Within the field of my vision, I saw her expression softened. "Motorcycle," I continued quietly, "He overtook a speeding car. Idiot."

Liz sighed. "I'm sorry. Is he okay?"

"He's fine," I reassured, turning off the ignition and exiting the car. She did the same, and for the first time tonight, I took in the full sight of her. I exhaled deeply through my nostril, feeling it flaring. Images my mind conjured up on its own took me to my boiling point. What could've happened if I hadn't gone to that club on time? Besides the fact that he would end up in a hospital with my fist printed on his face? I don't really know.

I locked the vehicle and stomped towards the house. I fumbled with the keys to the door as Liz stood waiting behind me. Her perfume was overpowering, and I could only grit my teeth. _Why the hell would she go out smelling like this?_

While I was distracted, Liz's hand reached mine and picked the key for me. Momentarily distracting me from my innate thoughts, I couldn't help but send her a small smile as I unlocked the door open. She entered and I followed her inside.

"I'm really tired tonight. I'll just go to bed," she yawned pretentiously. _She is an actress after…_

"Let's talk first." I said in an urgent manner, shrugging off my jacket.

"There's nothing to talk about," she insisted, or rather, she whined.

"Trust me darling. There're a lot of things for us to talk about."

"Okay then," she mimicked the sardonic tone I unconsciously used on her. "First, and to be frank, I'm not sorry I went to that club with Nikki. I deserved every second I've spent there. Second, I expect an apology for two things. And I know for a fact that you know what exactly I'm talking about."

I rubbed my temples and sat down on the couch. I couldn't remember what urged me to drink more than I had promised myself to. The only memory I have for that night was when I woke up a mess on the same couch I was currently sitting on.

"I acted like that for a reason," I said a matter-of-factly, bringing with me a hidden motive to find some kind of answer that would hopefully explain her sudden departure last night.

She laughed humorlessly. "I'm surprised you even _have_ a reason. You're basically the most unreasonable human on the face of the planet!"

"And you're the most stubborn," I countered hastily. "I wouldn't have made you storm out of the house if it wasn't such a big deal."

I looked at her and realized that she was still standing throughout the first course of our … conversation. It made my skin tingle with fear. She would usually make herself comfortable before engaging in a tactless discussion, and I would at times, let out a smile in between her sentences because she'd look adorable talking nonsense just to prove me wrong. But this time, she didn't do anything. She just stood there like a statue – an irate statue.

"Of course it's not a big deal! It's not a big deal that you'd sniff around my work and judge me for it." she glowered.

"Did I ever judge you?"

Her eyes widened in disbelief. _I guess it would've been wise for me not to have asked that question…_ "You insulted me for christ's sake!" she cried out, her emotions scattered all over the place. "I don't go around treating movie offers as an opportunity to screw around with male co-stars, and to have you second-guessing that idea? It pisses the hell out of me." she finished with a scorn.

I blanked out, sinking in the familiar information. I tore my eyes away from her as I tried to recollect my thoughts. The corners of my lips twitched. "The script…" I trailed off, looking up at her again. "You're really going to do the movie with him after all."

"Oh my god." Liz croaked out, turning around and went towards the kitchen.

I stood up and followed her. "The script was brilliant! Tell me, did you two plan it out?"

"I'm done," she shook her head at me. Her mouth opened as if she was about to say something, but she shut it quickly right after. "I'm done talking to you."

"Isn't that wonderful, Liz?" I continued with a chuckle. She brushed pass me and made her way upstairs. "You'll finally have a reason why you scream his name when you come!"

"It was that one time and was only a slip of the tongue goddammit!" she cried from upstairs.

"Whose tongue? His?!"

"Shut the fuck up Gavin!"

I leaned against the stair railing and rubbed my face with my hands. This was starting to be getting out of line. Liz was draining out all the remaining sanity I had left. We were supposed to talk. I was starting to think I had better communication with actors in a movie than with her.

I tired clearing my head, reminding myself that Elizabeth was someone too much for me to lose. What has happened to us? _Ever since when…_

Bracing against the railings, I evened out my breathing. The frantic footsteps above me stopped, and I assumed Liz just decided to sleep these all off. She would always just walk away after a nasty argument, and I couldn't help but do the same.

A sudden urge to drink washed through me again. My feet directed me to the kitchen, but I restrained myself. I need her, and I don't want to disappoint her again. I restricted myself from entering the dining area, and instead, pushed myself to climb up the steps towards our bedroom.

Reaching upstairs with a slow pace, I thought about what I would say. It stung to have me register that I couldn't find anything better to say to her. And I was the kind of person who always has something to say. It terrified me.

I reached the top, and unhurriedly moved to our bedroom. Relief washed over me when I saw that she left the door ajar. I very gently opened the door, my heart beating almost audibly in my ears, and let myself in.

With teary eyes, I watched her with her back facing me in the bed. I rushed to the other side of the bed and kneeled on the sheets, silently begging for her to face me.

The movement of her breathing both stilled me and set fire to my throat. "Liz?" I whispered in a rough voice. "Liz…"

I was not acknowledged, so I sat down on the bed. I resisted the temptation to touch her. "I'm so sorry… I don't know what came over me."

_Nothing._

"That was stupid of me. I should have never done what I did. Please, can you at least say something?"

She stirred at bit, but that was it. I yearned to see her face again. "I'm sorry. I just want you to know that I love you, okay? Nothing… nothing will ever change that," I hated the pain evident in my voice. "Goodnight."

With a foolish hope for her to turn to me died down, I lingered a while longer before getting up from the bed and went to the bathroom to freshen up. I knew that it would take more than a hot shower to help me relax, but I didn't want to leave upstairs. Being here was the only thing that brings me closer to Liz, and I was afraid that if even being physically away from each other, she and I would stray away. I would never want that.

I've felt so depressed in an instant. I really hope that Liz would talk to me soon. I wanted to do anything that could make me forget about tonight. But I guess a shower would suffice. For now.

Elizabeth POV

The silence of the house rang in my ears. I aimlessly paced around the room, biting my lips hard and trying to hold back the tears that were about to fall. I didn't want to cry. There was no reason to. I told him my side of the story, and thought it was all I needed to say. I sat on the bed and lied down facing up. I made an effort to overthrow the teary emotion away and instead replace it with anger.

_How dare he? He has no right. He would never have the right. Everything I had said to him was all pointless._ _He's ridiculous. He simply threw away the fact that acting meant a lot to me, and to have him insult me like that? I don't even…_

A sob threatened to escape from my lips. I turned my body to the side opposite to the door and closed my eyes as I heard footsteps ascending on the stairs. Talking to him was the last thing I wanted to do tonight, or any night for that matter. It was stupid of me to have thought that the words coming out of my mouth can convince him.

The gentle sound of the door opening made my heart race. The bed suddenly sank down a little to his added weight. "Liz?" he spoke gravely. The tone of his voice pained me more than it should have. "Liz…"

I shut my eyes tightly, focusing on other things instead. The bed sank further down a bit. "I'm so sorry… I don't know what came over me."

_"I d-don't know what came over me." I stuttered to Nikki, blushing. _

"That was stupid of me. I should have never done what I did. Please, can you at least say something?" I trembled a bit, but refocused on the memory.

_She shook her head. "It's normal. Just ask the other ladies who had the utmost privilege of having Peter Facinelli's lips against their skin."_

"I'm sorry. I just want you to know that I love you, okay? Nothing… nothing will ever change that. Goodnight."

_"That isn't the answer I was hoping for," I hissed lowly. We were both looking at the scene Peter and I shot days ago on my phone. It was decided that the full scene would appeaer in the extras, and they'd let the actors have the first copy of the clips._

_ My neck felt wonderfully hot from where his lips had last been. I expected a gentle bite on the part of my neck, but I almost jumped when I felt him kissing there instead. The action was terribly arousing. His lips were hot, and I felt them moved sensually against the sensitive spot of my neck. I unconciously let out a moan in between, and we both froze as soon as I did. Catherine had us do a couple of retakes.__ I noticed Peter's kisses were becoming less passionate than the take before. I was a bit disappointed but thankful that I successfully prevented myself from uttering a sound of ecstacy after the first time I did. I dearly hoped he wasn't able to hear it. Afterwards, he walked away from the set and to wherever it is that he went. We hadn't seen each other since. I don't blame him though. Oh god... that meant he did hear it._

_"Okay then. Let me change it," Nikki offered teasingly, ignoring the fiery glare I gave her. "You moaned because… you were in character!"_

_I groaned. "If you were bitten by a vampire's razor-sharp fangs, would you really rather moan than scream in pain?"_

_She looked at our shot again and shrugged. "If the vampire's hot, then why not?" _

_"Ridiculous for me to expect you to give me a decent answer." I said, narrowing my eyes at her._

_She shrugged again. "An indecent question begets an indecent answer," she smiled. "So where's the hot vampire we're talking about here?"_

_"Keep your voice down!" I agonized. _

_"Oh please, it's not like anybody would disagree."_

_"Disagree what?" a voice from behind us asked._

_I nodded slowly, my lips pressed together. I swiftly snatched my phone from Nikki's hands and hid it. I felt like I was in a bad comedy where two people talk trash about another and get caught by that person listening from behind._

_"Oh hey Fach. We were just talking about – "_

_"Tonight!" I cut her off, giving her an all-knowing smile. Both of them curiously looked at me. "Because tonight…" I trailed off, traveling my eyes across the set. One of the camera men passed by us, and was holding a cup of what I assumed was some kind of fruit shake. He was wearing a red shirt, so I came up with what I thought._

_I let out an awkward chuckle and continued, "Tonight Nikki and I will be making Tomato Milkshake," I said while Peter and Nikki's eyes were fixed on me, still contemplating on my reply._

_"We are?" Nikki questioned, and I doubt it's because she was not really that surprised. I added another awkward chortle. "We were just arguing on whether tomato is a fruit or a vegetable. What do you think?"_

_"I think you've lost your mind." Nikki answered quietly. Peter was obviously trying to hold back a smile. I wanted to tell him that he should never hold back a smile. It would be such a waste of opportunity. _

_I giggled. "Oh Nikki," I looked at Peter. "Always insisting it's a vegetable."_

_To this, Peter's lips turned to an enticing grin. I felt the heat in my neck escalate to a significant degree. He looked at me, his eyes back to an alluring shade of green (even though I fancied him wearing the golden contacts). His make-up was off as well as mine, and I couldn't help but seeing Carlisle Cullen every time I see him. _

_"Hmm, yeah of course it's a vegetable. I would love some vegetable shake tonight. Do you want to join us Peter?" Nikki asked innocently. I sucked in a breath and smiled widely at her. We exchanged an 'I'm going to kill you' and 'Don't worry, it's a good plan' look. _

_"That would be nice," Peter said, looking at me. "If it's okay with you."_

_I wondered how many women fainted while holding on to his gaze. "It's fine," I quickly said, avoiding his torturous eyes. _

_"So…? Do you think tomatoes are vegetables too?" Nikki said with false hope. She was just too good of an actress._

_I casted Peter a glance that I knew would soon be a big mistake. I swore something was squirming inside of me when I saw him smile again. _

_"I think tomato is a fruit, right Liz?"_

For the first time since I had lain in this bed, I smiled. That was a very prominent memory of mine. As was the night we made a mess in the kitchen making those silly tomato shakes. It tasted awful and we mourned on our wasted efforts. It was quickly resolved when we ordered pizza and milkshakes. That was the first time the three of us really hung out. It was always fun when the Peter and Nikki were at the same room as me.

No matter how much everything is messed up, the good memories will always try to remind me that there is still a chance for me to make new ones.

I turned and saw Gavin fast asleep. I didn't know what would happen to us then. I still love him, more than I could have ever thought of myself capable of. But what he said… what he understood hurt me more than I could have ever thought of myself enduring to.

Snuggling deep under the covers, I closed my eyes and recalled more happy memories with Peter and Nikki. It seemed that, there were the only ones keeping me happy nowadays.

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_A/N: Next chapter coming up soon. I swear I am not delaying the filming! Not at all. After all, I don't really have much in store for you... or do I? ;))_

_Cheers,_

_DyM_


	20. Chapter 18

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_I decided to indulge myself a little while before posting the much awaited chapters :) Enjoy!_

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**Chapter 18**

Elizabeth POV

A good-looking young man was about to sit down on an oak chair positioned in front of me, and I did nothing but stare foolishly at him.

"Hello my dear, the name's Liam. I'll be interviewing you today." he greeted me with an exuberant smile and an accent that makes you forbid to hear it without having to ask him permission first.

"Oh!" I squeaked, evidently fangirling over him. He was very well proving of his presence by tapping the underside of my chin but I still couldn't believe my eyes. _The_Liam Neeson was really here in front of me! ...wearing the same trench coat Robert wore when he played Edward Cullen.

"So Elizabeth Reaser," he began when he finally sat down, putting on his reading glasses. I felt like someone had pushed me down the rainbow as I heard my name roll off his tongue. He looked at the papyrus he was holding and read out: "Is it true that you have developed an amorous connection with one of your co-stars?"

My mouth dropped open in utter shock. Then I felt like there was a moving figure beside me so I dared to glance at it. It was no other than Peter Facinelli, who looked fixedly at me with such anticipation that made my stomach did a double flip.

"T-that question is way too inappropriate to ask, Mr. Neeson." I stammered hopelessly, looking down at the old papyrus he was holding.

"How unprofessional," Liam eyed me disapprovingly. "Do you know how unethical that is?"

"What are you talking about?" I pleaded more than I asked. The look of disgust formed on his face. I wanted to sob. "Please, whatever it is I've done, I swear I didn't mean it!"

"Ssh…" A hand lightly touched my chin, gently coaxing me to look at its owner.

Peter smiled dreamily at me. His face was near mine and I could feel the heat radiating from his touch. As soon as comfort swept through me, panic quickly took over when I felt his hand creeping down my neck. He slowly dragged his fingers downwards and stopped at my blouse. He swiftly undid the first button, which then I wasn't able to contain a gasp.

"Answer the question, Lizzie."

I involuntarily swallowed and turned to look at the speaker. "Dad?" I whispered hoarsely. I widened my eyes in horror. "Gavin?"

There in front of me were Gavin, William Davidson and John Reaser. My boyfriend sat where Liam Neeson was previously seated while both of my father figures grasped each of Gavin's shoulder for support. Gavin's expression was impassive. John's attire consisted of a Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts while William was donned with a tuxedo and a Detroit Pistons cap. I narrowed my eyes in confusion.

Gavin's eyes were blank, and so was my step father's, but John's weren't. I nearly broke down in tears when he bowed down his head as if in shame.

"I-it's not what it looks like!" I cried, but somehow couldn't bring myself to push Peter's hand away.

"Don't mind them darling," Peter spoke in a husky voice. He undid the second button, and I couldn't do anything to stop him. He had an unreadable expression on his face besides of the obvious lust. My breath came out in quick gasps. _Why couldn't I move?_

"Answer the question," someone jeered. I turned, terrified. The odd group was nowhere to be found and was now replaced by Peter's ex-wife sitting crossed leg on the chair. She raised an eyebrow at me.

Shame struck me like lightning. Jennie's bitter glare sent shivers down my spine. I felt something warm come in contact with my leg. I closed my eyes and sighed in spite of myself, only to have found out Peter's other hand was resting near my thighs.

"Mommy, why isn't the lady playing daddy's wife answering the question!" Fiona, Peter's daughter, huffed impatiently. She skipped from across the oddly lighted room and tugged at her mother's wedding dress.

"Shit," I murmured, feeling Peter's lips behind my ear. "You gotta stop, your daughter might see…"

"Woof!"

Completely mortified and relieved at the same time, I stared at the source of the sound.

Luther was now the one on the chair, his tail wagging excitedly. He barked once more before he suddenly leapt towards me –

I blinked at the blinding ray of sunlight streaming in through the window, that just so happened to land on my eyes, and nowhere else. I threw a blanket over my head and groaned.

I mumbled incoherently and rubbed my eyes. The dream I just had was so creepily vivid. This was the third time this week. I've been having weird-ass dreams lately. I reached for my phone on the nightstand, and checked the time. I stretched my legs and turned to the other side of the bed.

_He got up early again. It was clear that he was avoiding me._I didn't mind much anymore since a few nights ago where we had _that_argument. It was revolting to even think about it.

I forced myself to get up and have myself prepare for tomorrow. Peter and I will be meeting the director for the movie. I was more than excited to meet the other cast members as well. Hopefully, we'll all be able to work great together to produce an equally great film. Pressure's on me the most, I suppose.

I smiled._ Well I do work my best under a lot of pressure._

Speaking of pressure, a throbbing in my head began. I blamed the particular dream I just had. I tried not to decipher the meaning of all of it. Uncertainty and frustration are the last things I'll ever be needing. I've been doing a lot of deciphering with regards to my boyfriend. But unfortunately for me, it was no success. I didn't have the slightest idea where we go from here.

_Ugh. My head's already hurting like hell and it's doing a good job remembering all the shitty complications I have in my relationship._

I took some aspirins from the nightstand, and drank them. I lay back down on the bed, and drowned myself with white fluffy sheets. I unconsciously bid the sun good night and whispered, "Until tomorrow…"

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_A/N: Thank you for reading and tell me what you think. _

_Cheers,_

_disYmis_


	21. Chapter 19

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

**Disclaimer: The Twilight Saga and all of its characters are not my property, and I am in no way affiliated with Summit Entertainment. Again, other characters besides the main ones are only fictional, and the story is as well. So don't rage. **

_Sorry for the late update. One word. Finals. (sigh)_

_Enjoy! _

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**Chapter 19**

Elizabeth POV

I've always deemed myself proud of having high tolerance for traffic, but now I was raising hell in one. Not only was it blazing hot on the road, I was behind schedule for the cast meeting as well. First day of the filming, and I was late. Now that's a swell record.

After a grueling twenty minutes or so, I've finally arrived at my destination. I steered my car pass the gate after I was identified by a guard and drove along the road leading to the gray building that was Summit Entertainment. Even under hot temperature, my hands were cold with excitement.

I parked my vehicle, got out, and headed straight to the building. I passed by whom I've assumed to be the movie crew, nodding and giving me small smiles. A tall man opened the glass door for me, and I thanked him with a smile. I looked around and felt incredibly grateful I had another opportunity to work on a movie again. The interior was more spacious than what I can remember the last time I was here. I've spotted a lot of camera equipment placed on the far right where a few of the crew were tweaking on the tech stuff I had no interest in knowing about. I walked slowly, admiring the newly created set. It looked to be an old (impressively so) Victorian house. I suppose that was what Dr. Cullen brought in Ashland. It was still on construction though.

"Ms. Reaser?"

I turned and was welcomed by a brunette wearing a brown dress suit. "Yes?"

She smiled widely at me and held out her hand. "I'm Joan, Ms. Maxwell's assistant. We've been expecting you…"

"…minutes ago. I'm sorry I'm late." I told her sheepishly as I shook her hand.

"That's fine," she waved me off. "Mr. Facinelli is already there in the meeting room with Ms. Maxwell. Come."

I followed her to where the meeting is being held. Joan looked weary as she tried to keep her shoulders straight but failed. I tore my gaze away from her and settled instead to look around. There was no doubt that I'd be looking like that after a few weeks of the shooting.

"Is Robert already there too?" I asked.

She sent me another smile which seemed to be forced out. "Not yet. He purposely told us that he would be late for the meeting."

I chuckled. "That sure sounds like him."

We stepped inside an elevator, side by side. She pushed a few buttons as I checked my watch. "How long have you guys been waiting?"

"Not long. Mr. Facinelli got here the earliest."

_Is he already blonde? _I wanted to ask, but it would be unnecessary considering that I'd be seeing him in a few.

"Your hair looks great, if you don't mind me saying Ms. Reaser."

"Thank you," I said, abashed. "And you can me Liz."

Her lips broke out into a grin, which made her look ten times younger. "Ms. Liz," she nodded.

The elevator dinged open to the third floor and we both walked out. I was beheld by the cutting-edge interior composed of sleek silver walls and the shiny white tiled flooring, and the cool ambience the area emitted. She led me to the nearest door that was labeled the meeting room and opened it.

Two pairs of eyes fell upon me. One pair was kind, familiar, and made me want to drown in them. The other pair was somehow scrutinizing.

I entered the room when Joan gestured me inside. There was a Summit Entertainment logo printed on the white wall facing the mountain-shaped table centering the room. My now-blonde co-star sat on one of the office chairs a chair apart from a woman probably in her fifties. Her hair has strands of not exactly gray, but silver. Her face was fierce-looking and her blue eyes were striking. Her clothing consisted of an elegant dark suit that complimented the color of her hair. She reminded of me Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada.

"Ms. Reaser. Finally, you've come. Sit." She told me in a honeyed voice. The door closed behind me as I gave her a smile and went to shake her hand. When I held out my hand, her eyes were blank when she only looked at it and back at me.

My eyes were wide when I spared a glance at Peter. He stared warily and almost apologetically at me. I slowly withdrew my hand and sat down beside him. I had a feeling this whole movie-making would be a bit of a complicated process.

"Where are the others?" I asked.

"We're only expecting Robert now. The three of us, the main cast." Peter replied. I glanced at him and marveled at the new hair color that looked kind of odd with the matching of his skin tone. I guessed that Peter was doing the same with me when his eyes alight with appreciation.

"I assumed you two have already read and understood the whole script?" Ms. Maxwell said, breaking my train of thought. Her voice sounded oddly comforting and terrifying at the same time.

Peter nodded beside me, and I did as well.

"Well then, let me introduce myself. Again." She eyed me. "I am Lydia Maxwell, the directress of this movie. And you are Elizabeth Reaser, correct?"

I resisted the urge to furrow my eyebrows as I nodded again. She sounded way too formal for my liking.

"So you're the Esme Cullen that Stephanie had envisioned," she stated coolly. My mouth gaped open in surprise at how devastatingly thorough her gaze was on me. I felt like I was some kind of an art work being criticized by a critique or a doe being lusted to kill upon by a hunter.

Her eyes traveled from me to Peter. "Kiss." she said.

With just one word, my throat and the room instantly felt like Sahara, and my body tensed up by a hundredfold. "What?" I croaked out.

She raised an eyebrow at me. "You don't know how to?"

I surpressed mockery, and was discouraged to look at Peter right now. Nor at any time of today or tomorrow. Or forever. I fell silent, and couldn't sense any bit of movement beside me.

"This movie has a genre of romance." She spoke out, emphasizing the last word. "What do you expect? Nose rubbing? A kiss on the cheek? The story demands passion, and you both better be good at showing it."

"Yes…" Peter said. I bit the insides of my cheeks at the subtly suggested notion. "but now?" he spoke out flatly.

I finally turned to him. _This was ridiculous - doing it here in front of the most professional human being I've come to know in less than ten minutes?_

"Do you want to schedule that?"

I kept myself from glaring at her. I prevented using the B word on this early stage of our meeting but damn, she practically wanted to get it out of me.

I turned my body, facing him fully and still couldn't look at him straight in the eyes. I reminded myself that this was entirely professional. The director wanted to see how we would both look like when we share a kiss. _Sure there was no denying that we had kissing scenes, but we were at a meeting room for goodness' sake!_

Admiring the tiled floor, and apparently wanting to distract myself, Peter's hand gently came up to my cheek. I was surprised he didn't flinch because I swore my cheeks would be burning right now.

My gaze traveled up to his body, which I then regretted. His sturdy, muscular physique urged me to look at his soft yet strong facial features. His eyes danced and he was obviously amused of the situation we were both in.

I let out a small smile and forced myself to completely ignore Lydia's presence and let the kiss come naturally. I moved closer as he did, and when our faces were inches apart, the dream I had yesterday struck me full force. I felt like I was in a strange case of déjà vu. His hot breath swept my face, and I only closed my eyes.

My entire body tingled with foreign delight and anticipation. My arms and hands went limp resting on my thighs while his hand was barely touching just above my jaw line. I felt his lips almost against mine when a sudden knock on the door broke me out of my reverie.

The door opened, revealing Robert's smiling face.

I very nearly threw him a deadly glare. I didn't know why the relief I had been expecting didn't come to me. I attempted to shake off what I didn't want to feel. Disappointment.

Sighing with emotional exhaustion, I glanced at Peter. He smiled at Robert in return. The door closed behind him as he staggered to his seat.

"Mr. Pattinson, would you mind telling us why you're late?"

This was going to be_ long _day.

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_A/N: Tell me what you think. I'll upload a chapter soon. (If time would let me) Thanks for reading!_

_Cheers, _

_DyM_


	22. Chapter 20

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_R &amp; R Enjoy! Final's over = Sooner updates :D_

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**Chapter 20**

Elizabeth POV

A heavy sigh escaped my lips when the coffee's aroma reached my nostrils. I expected on-set coffee to suck, but it surprisingly didn't. It was the an assurance I needed to make sure I'll survive here.

"Why couldn't it be Chris, or Bill? Or Catherine? Or anyone else entirely?" Rob mused, sounding like a child being denied a trip to the candy store.

I sipped the coffee Joan prepared for me. "Give her a chance," I told him.

"Her level of bitchiness is too high for her to be given a chance," Rob scoffed, a smirk playing on his lips.

I wanted to verbally agree to that, but I didn't want to pour gas on an already roaring flame_._

Rob, Peter and I were lounging on the cream couch recently moved into Peter's room, waiting for further instructions. In the meeting room, we had discussed about the flow of the movie and our schedule adjustments. The cast members would have to live here in the course of one year for the filming. However, Rob and the others can decide whether they want to stay here or not. For me and Peter, we were advised to settle here for now. _The thought excited me more than it should have…_

The Victorian House on the ground floor was still under its final stages of construction, but the hospital set was ready for the first scene. Ella Winters, the one playing sixteen year-old Esme, was scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning. For now, Lydia told us to wait for Stephenie to confirm with things.

"You shouldn't say that," I retorted a minute later.

He laughed the way that proved of his youth. "Of come on Liz. You of all people should know…"

"I think she's quite traditional, if I do say so myself," Peter cut him off. I noticed his blond hair was in slight disarray and it made my inner perfectionist cringed. But the fact that we won't be needing to wear wigs was a relief. They were the second most uncomfortable thing to put on next to those infamous stunt wires.

"I've never heard of her before," I said absent-mindedly. Two pairs of eyes looked at my direction.

"Well I heard she took a break from directing, and then here she is again," Peter followed.

Noticing the air among the three of us changed, I shifted uneasily. The both of them sounded a lot like Lydia back in the meeting room; serious and subtly irritated. I had a terrible hunch that none of us really wanted to be here at all, whether the reason is Lydia's attitude or not, I was sure of it.

I cleared my throat – in a desperate attempt to produce even the tiniest bit of diversion. I then slowly trailed my eyes down, and out of nowhere, the thought of Peter's lips almost touching mine struck me again, and it sent urgent waves of both anxiety and anticipation coursing through me. I guess Rob's intrusion kind of saved me from a lot of trouble. Bless him.

"Am I missing some great event happening on the floor?"

I snapped my eyes to Rob, who was resting his head on the sofa's back pillows. I traveled my gaze to Peter and found his lips curved up into a secretive smile. I supposed he was enjoying the view the floor has to offer as well.

"I just like the floor designs, that's all. It's traditional – like Maxwell." Peter shrugged.

I hesitated to ask, but I didn't intend to continue entertaining Rob's shrewd assumption. "How's Jaimie?"

Peter looked at me through hooded eyes. "She's doing fine," he replied a little bluntly. "Gavin?"

I released a breath and nodded, "He's good,"

There it is, and I hated it - the inevitable silence that always follows every time he and I would talk about each of our lovers. It was beyond the scale of awkward. Normal people don't get into this kind of awkwardness. I wish I could have Peter's point of view regarding this, because he really doesn't seem to give a shit.

Rob yawned. "Steph must've decided to back out at the last minute,"

Peter and I shifted our full-attention to him. I was half-glad he brought up another topic, and half-offended too, for his subtle dismissal of the movie-in-the-making's main couple.

Rob smiled a little before speaking in a low voice, "I mean, fans'll still ship Bella and Edward all throughout."

"Oh?" Peter tested.

Rob backed up against the couch and lazily propped his legs on the coffee table. "Unless," he said, peeking at us with his opened eye. "You two can pull it off."

A familiar heat resurfaced on my cheeks. _Damn, did Nikki really tell Rob to tease us like this? _Rob, as if he heard my thoughts, grinned and languidly rested his head against the sofa.

"We can assure you, we will. Isn't that right partner?" Peter turned to me with a wicked grin.

I shrank back against the couch, but managed to nod briskly with a smile of my own. "I can bet on that,"

"Ah, you wanna bet?" Rob smirked, his now-opened eyes twinkling.

"You bet it's a bet. Your vintage guitar?" Peter challenged. At that moment, I felt like I was in the middle of two teenagers, making teen-aged bets. Well, at least Jackson wasn't here to join them. He becomes extremely enthusiastic when it came to bets.

Rob frowned a little, but a smile quickly reappeared on his face. "Your motorcycle?"

Peter coughed, and turned to me with pleading eyes. "Liz, help me out here,"

I suppressed a giggle, but failed. A yawn threatened to escape my lips. I can't believe how the hours had passed so quickly since I arrived here. "My career," I said flat-out.

Rob's jaw dropped open. "Hey wait now…" He looked ridiculously alarmed despite his current position.

Peter mirrored his expression. "Isn't that a bit too much?" he smiled sheepishly. "We only have one movie on our side – and it's not even made yet - and they've got five. And not to mention the books…" By the way three of us talked, I can say that we were dead-serious.

I nonchalantly shrugged. It wasn't that I was foolish enough to have done what I did, I just simply thought that Peter and I are more willing to 'pull it off' with something as important as my career on the line. I knew Peter's passionate in portraying Carlisle, and I've seen him at his best. I had no doubt. But beating the enormous fan base might be… difficult, to say the least.

"You still manage to surprise me Elizabeth," Peter told me with a breathtaking grin.

Before I could think of a flirty comeback, a knock came at the door. Peter invited the knocker in, and so she did.

Joan, Maxwell's assistant, stepped in, looking out of breath. She cleared her throat and spoke.

"Ms. Meyer won't be able to come today due to some issues she's dealing with the press. It seemed that word came out that there's a sixth installment of the franchise in the making. It was a mess." she sighed. "Ms. Meyer said she'll come here tomorrow along with the other casts. Unfortunately, the making of the first scene will be delayed."

"We're not even gonna shoot the first scene yet and the press had already gone berserk," Rob rolled his eyes.

"Going home now would be disastrous," I chuckled without humor, forcing my tired legs to stand up.

Peter stood as well, overwhelming me with his impressive stature and masculinity showing in all the right places. _Do not go in that direction!_ My conscience yelled at me. I rarely obeyed it, but I guess this was one of the rare times that I thought I had to.

"How about we go home together?" Peter suggested.

"The outcome will be a lot worse," Rob snorted, still in his lazy position on the sofa. I cringed at the memories of those nosy paparazzi when the first movie came out_. I can only imagine…_

"Well genius, what's your plan? We sleep here?"

"We could," I murmured quietly.

Joan stared at me before bursting out, "Yes! That's probably a good idea."

"Now? But I'm still not prepared to leave my comfort zone," Rob groaned in a petulant manner.

_I haven't properly talked to Gavin yet…_ "Me too," I turned to Joan with a grimace.

She did a double-take and nodded, strands of her hair falling across her forehead. "I guess so," A beep then sounded from her, and she squeaked in surprise. "Oh! Excuse me," Rushing outside, she closed the door with a bang.

"Either she had too much caffeine or it's that Ms. Directress' oh-so-wonderful personality rubbing her off."

I shook my head. "Don't blame the caffeine,"

"Ha! So you do agree about her being bitchy," He grinned victoriously.

I moved to the kitchen and turned to smile sweetly at him. "We all act bitchy sometimes, sweetie. You of all people should know that." I winked at him and glanced at a grinning Peter still on his feet. _It would be a better sight to witness if he could only take off those clothes of his…_

I avoided their stares and bit down my lower lip. I wondered why I was feeling so frustratingly hormonal right now. I remembered Donna mentioning something about menopausal. _Oh god no…_ I let out a dry laugh and ignored the questioning glances my companions gave me. It wasn't best idea to tell them the reason behind my laughter.

* * *

_A/N : Thanks for reading!_

_I really appreciate the amount of people reading this story, but can you guys perhaps leave a few words afterwards? When a chapter gets too few reviews, I get less motivated to write the next chapter. You can tell me what you think, what you expect, anything really. Anyway, thank you for following the story._

_A big thank you hug to Cris.P.C &amp; mercersburgrachel for continually spoiling this story with praises, and to all the other reviewers too! :)_

_Oh, and don't miss the next chapter. You're going to regret it if you do. ;)_

_Cheers,_

_DyM_


	23. Chapter 21

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_Oh jeez. It's been so long. My phone got stolen, along with all my typed chapters. I had to rewrite everything. It had been a stressful month for me. But that doesn't stop me from wanting to finish this story. I'm sorry that I just so rudely disappeared without notice. I hope you guys can still keep following the story. Thank you for the support once more.  
_

_Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 21  
**

Elizabeth POV

I collapsed on my unmade bed, exhausted from the day of dodging those pesky paparazzi, and not to mention the three-hour drive it took me to get here. Joan wasn't joking when she said it'd be a mess. It wasn't anything major but those photographers meant business. I stifled a yawn and reminded myself that I still needed to pack for tomorrow.

I struggled to sit myself on the bed due to my body protesting. Yielding to my weakness, I took out my phone instead. I looked at the screen to have found out that there were seven missed calls and nineteen new messages. I already knew the majority of it was from.

_'Why aren't you picking up? You're not that busy, are you? Too caught up with the beautiful reunion?'_

I rolled my eyes and decided to skip Gavin's passive-aggressive messages. I was too tired that I doubt I could keep up on rolling my eyes at his every message.

_'So pretty lady, what's up? You best tell me everything okay? Coffee tomorrow before you go? kisses xoxo'_

I smiled softly at Nikki's message and scrolled down for more. There was one for Paget. I can tell it wasn't as friendly as the previous one from the first word typed in all caps.

_'YOU! did not tell me about the movie you were gonna make! When I come home I swear to God I'm gonna strangle you. Oh &amp; I miss you. I'm getting tired of all the hot guys here. Time to settle for the mediocre ones back at home. See you sexy.'_

A giggle escaped my lips. I guess I was in for it.

_Liz you are not going to believe this. _Robert's message read. I got excited instantly_. _It wasn't too often that Rob sends this type of texts. Well, to me at least. '_Richard Armitage is going to play Evenson. He took the part at the last minute. That guy's amazing. This is gonna be so awesome!'_

Oh! I _can_ hardly believe it. Rob's excitement was infectious, but it wasn't the only reason I got the mutual feeling. Armitage is an amazing actor, even though I've only seen him starring in a movie once or twice. And he was easy on the eyes. I remembered having a brief crush on that guy way before we shot Twilight. I shook my head, smiling widely. New co-workers meant new friends, and that gives new connections. Perfect.

There was one from my sister. '_Good luck with the movie sis. I know you're gonna do great. Dad would be so proud of you. Love you. I hope we could see each other soon.'_

_"_I hope so too_,"_ I mused with guilt. I was too busy with things that I had forgotten about visiting home. The last time I stepped foot on Michigan was two years ago. I swore to myself to visit there right after the movie.

I then read a text from my cousin, Vinnie. '_Liz. I don't know how to put this in any other way but we think Luther's going to be a dad. It just happened. Blame the neighbor's hot bitch. Hahaha! Don't worry though; he's as healthy as a horse… almost as big as one too. Good luck with the movie!'_

My mouth opened in shock. _That sneaky little. . .  
_

I simply let out an awkward, dry laugh. Well, at least he's going to try to be responsible once in his life.

The last one was from Peter. '_Liz, can we talk? _With his signature smiley face typed on_, Beep me up after you've finish packing. See you.'_

A familiar sensation took place in the pit of my stomach, and I welcomed it with open arms. I didn't want to know why the mere mention of his name does funny things to my body. _Another funny thing is that we spent most of the day talking. It seemed like it was the only thing I had accomplished today. _Though I don't really mind talking to him all day; among of all the other things I'd rather be doing with him. . .

I rose from the bed, went to my closet, and cursed my previous thoughts. I had to remind myself that he was engaged – happily so. And I too, was happily committed to a man who thinks commitment means quitting my job to be with him twenty-four hours a day. And besides, even if Peter and I would be stranded on an island, I don't think he'll ever consider us having sex. He was so faithful, it was almost sickening.

I felt ten times as exhausted now that I've come back to that realization. I tried to distract myself by sorting out the clothes I already saved for tomorrow. There was no use moping over this again.

oOoOoOo

"Coming!" I yelled from upstairs when the doorbell rang. I hoped I wasn't loud enough to have woken up the neighbors. Believe me - that actually happened once, and if it wasn't the reason they gave me those sneering, weird looks the next morning, I don't know what was.

I straightened my hair out and went to open the door for my visitor. I recently finished eating my dinner after he told me he already had his. It was now half past eight the moment my feet landed on the last step. I reached the door, and revealed a pleasant sight to behold, but unfortunately not advised for me to think about so usually.

Peter dressed in a casual manner, and it was torture to watch him doing so and yet still looking so damn ravishing. How come _that_ doesn't work on anyone else? I invited him in before he'd notice me staring. "I brought wine," he raised the bottle with a smile I regret to have seen just soon after I got over how he looked tonight.

_Calm down. Damn hormones. _"I thought you would. Maxwell's going to have to deal with us drinking tonight,"

He laughed. "I promised myself only one glass," He then handed me the wine I didn't bother checking out. My eyes were too busy checking _him_ out.

Following me to the kitchen, he wondered out loud. "Where's your boyfriend?"

"I don't know," I said flatly, taking two wine glasses from the cupboard. The wine made a popping sound when I took the cork out with an army knife my dad used to own. His eyes searched across my face, and he uttered no reply. This was why he became a good friend of mine; he knows that Gavin wasn't a topic I had in mind for tonight. I poured the blood-colored liquid in each of our glasses.

"Are you trying to feed me blood?" I teased as I handed him his glass.

He grinned, as if to show off his fangs. "I don't think I had to try. Besides we are vampires after all,"

"Agreed," I murmured, taking a sip. The liquid stung my throat but the flavor was overpowering. I loved it. Leaning against the counter, I began our talk after the sip. I'll have to face it - more interesting stuff comes out of my mouth when I'm influenced. "So Richard Armitage took the role of Charles,"

"Yeah, he's a great actor," he twirled his glass and watched his wine in motion.

"Mhm, and a cutie," I smirked and tore my eyes away from him, _and_ successfully managed to stop myself from the internal debate on who was cuter between them.

"Of course," I heard him chuckle. "Very private about his life, though. I don't know how he does it,"

"Well you can ask him tomorrow," I noticed the window curtain from behind Peter, and remembered Gavin wanting to replace it weeks ago. I scoffed, and turned to the man in front of me. He was watching me intently, wearing a small smile.

"What?" I asked, suddenly insecure.

His smile widened. "You look very different,"

"Look who's talking," I replied. "Come on blondie, let's move to the living room. Thanks for the wine,"

"Aren't you going to bring it there with us?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I thought you promised yourself a minimum of one glass?"

He shrugged as we made our way to the living, my hand clasping around the wine bottle's neck. "That was before I tasted the wine,"

I occupied the nearest sofa to the coffee table when we reached the living room and had to suppress a smile. He sat beside me when I was hit by the scent of his perfume, and I had to stir clear of myself to avoid appreciating it out loud.

I refilled our wine glasses as Peter spoke in a sensual manner that made my lady parts question their sanity. "You're spoiling me sweetie, you should've berated me instead."

"Not this time. Wait, aren't you usually the one telling me that?"

He shook his head and raised his glass, indicating a toast. "For the movie to succeed, and hopefully, for us not to have too many haters trying their asses off to stop us."

I raised my glass and clinked it to his, nodding. "Amen to that,"

The liquid traveled down my throat and soothed my senses. I hadn't even notice the first-day-stress that happened to me until Peter arrived, definitely no thanks to those photographers.

"Did anyone notice you coming here?"

He shook his head and shifted comfortably in his position. "Jaimie did, but those photographers weren't really taking their jobs seriously after all. It was only half-past eight when I came here, and thankfully none of them showed up. Just so you'd know, I'd planned to wear a gas mask to come here."

"Just wait until the movie comes out," I snorted. He laughed quietly. "By the way, tell me about the girls,"

He smiled endearingly, his eyes looking far away. "Luca's getting high marks. I appreciate the things that are currently motivating her. Things that I, unfortunately, don't know about." His lips curved down a little. "Lola's going through um... girl stuff that her mother promised to take care of. And I'm not too comfortable knowing that Fiona has a very close guy friend that even Jennie allows for him to visit her every day. I'm kind of scared that one day he'd be allowed to sleep in _her_ room." He finished with a horrified look on his face. "But all in all, they're doing fine."

I smiled adoringly at him. I loved how he talks about his daughters. "They're growing up fast. Send them my regards, okay?"

"I will," he flashed me grin. He looked down to his glass, and said in a hushed voice, "Liz, I know the movie will be a lot different, and. . . I'd want us to be closer as friends." Electricity traveled through my veins and ended up in my heart.

"Of course," I told him, and listened for a while to make sure my heart was still beating. "I wouldn't have it in any other way,"

He let out a relieved smile. "Great," he breathed. "Rob appeared to be cool about of all this, but I think he's as excited as we are. He's merely good at hiding it,"

"I think so too, but. . ." I trailed off. Peter and I shared a look of understanding. We had agreed once to not mind Rob's personal business, but sometimes we just couldn't help it. Rob was a good friend and we hated seeing him blank out, staring into empty space - which he does too often these days.

Peter took a small sip of his wine before he said, "Remember when you said you'd never work with me again?"

"It was a joke, and you know that,"

"I thought you were serious,"

"Peter. . ."

He smirked easily. "Well, you can't get rid of me anyway,"

"I wouldn't dream of it," I sighed, noticing how big his hands were compared to mine. They held the wine glass with gentle strength. I can only imagine what they would feel like. . .

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you. There's a website – a fan website dedicated to you,"

I raised my eyes to his. "What?"

"I just found out about it. It seemed that they've got a lot of messages for you. You know that thing that teenagers write on different sorts of cardboard and take a picture of themselves and post it in the internet?"

"Yeah?" I've seen it once or twice.

"You got tons of catching up to do," he grinned at me, patting my hand resting against one of my knees. "Just look it up on Google."

"How did you come across that?" I was definitely taken back.

He shrugged. "I do research on my free time,"

If I thought I felt very weirded out right now, it would be an understatement. Who knows what goes about in the internet. I had often used my laptop only to chat with old friends, but that was it. I rarely ever surf online, let alone do research. They say you'd see creepy stuff posted about yourself that you weren't even aware of.

"Truth is, I found this wine when I went grocery-shopping yesterday. I liked the color and figured I'd wanted to share it with you. I hope you're not disappointed, 'cause I'm not,"

I smiled playfully. "I can assure you, it was what I needed the most today,"

"That's good to know," he said, his expression softening. "Well I'll see you tomorrow, Mrs. Cullen," he stood from the couch, and bowed. I could only laugh breathlessly.

I led him to the door, and called it a day. But not until he left a searing hot kiss on the right side of my check that left me regretfully wanting for more.

oOoOoOo

The wine's aftertaste still lingered on my mouth after I'd already brush my teeth. I shrugged it off as I lied on the bed and opened my laptop. I had to admit – I was morbidly curious about the website Peter referred me to. This'll be the first time in a long time that I would Google myself. I rushed to it, feeling scared half to death of what I would be seeing, so I skipped scanning when I clicked on the first link shown in the results.

Sure enough, there were pictures of me and some of my associates. I felt a bit endeared on some of the efforts people did on these posts. I then saw the messages Peter was talking about. There were pictures of teen-agers, some older than the other, with different faces but with the same adorable smiles who were holding a wide variety of anything that could be written on. Some of the messages were greets from their home countries, some were birthday greetings, some were simply a reminder that I would always be the greatest actress in their eyes. I bit my lips and continued scrolling down, and reminded myself to later send them my gratitude.

There were also a _lot_ of pictures of me and Peter. I didn't want to entertain any of them. I might only hurt myself in the end. See how emotional I can get? My eyes were getting heavy, but a smile still plastered on my face. I felt horrible that I had only known about this now. Some of the posts were made years ago. I didn't even know I still had an active fan base!

Just as I was about to finish scrolling, my eyes captured a picture that clogged up all the happy feelings I was having. I tried to control my breathing, and to tear my eyes away from the screen, but I couldn't. My eyes frantically searched for the day it was posted. Two years ago. I bit the insides of my cheeks, seeing my faint reflection on the screen.

I quickly turned off my laptop and set it aside. I rested my head on the pillows and attempted to tune out the image that I was afraid might have stuck inside my eyelids. How many minutes had I spent looking at that picture? Everything happened so quickly.

The caption didn't help me at all. Being hopelessly masochistic, I've repeated it in my head like a mantra. I forced my self to sleep, with the image of Peter and Nicole sharing a passionate kiss slowly fading away from my conscience.

* * *

_A/N: I know , I know, I have a lot of explaining to do. I think it's normal if you're actors, but I think if I were Liz, I'd react so strongly too. I mean . . . for one, she didn't know the picture exists, and none of the two had ever mentioned about it. And yes, the picture Liz is trying to forget the moment she saw it still exists. I saw it weeks ago just before my phone got stolen. I think it really isn't a big deal, but I wanted it to be a big deal in this story. And oh, Richard Armitage is a real actor too. I'm just borrowing him for the sake of Charles Evenson. Thank you for reading.  
_

_The following chapters are going to be . . . fun, if you know what I mean. Let the drama begin.  
_

_Cheers,_

_DyM_


	24. Chapter 22

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_Late upload. Enjoy it nevertheless!_

* * *

**Chapter 22**

**Elizabeth POV**

The day was beautiful.

_'I've arrived in Starbucks. I'll wait for you.'_

The weather was nice and cool, and the air was refreshing. There was little to no traffic on the road, and I've received wide smiles and flirty winks from at least seven or eight handsome strangers. I've already finished the painful process of packing all of my junk in three travel bags and they all fit snugly in my car's trunk.

_'Liz? Are you coming?'_

It's the small things that count.

_'Hey are you busy? We can cancel. . .'_

I drove around the corner and drew on the curb in an incredibly slow manner, delaying perhaps of what I would never admit the cause for today's apprehension. I put the car on reverse and with concentrated precision, maneuvered the vehicle carefully to avoid touching the white lines on the ground. I wasn't a perfectionist; I could be one - at times, but in anything else but parking. Oddly enough, I was determined to park perfectly today.

My left eye twitched as I saw her wave at me from inside the building. I smiled, though I didn't feel like smiling at this very moment. I stepped down the vehicle, and banged my car door shut. Individuals passing by stole a glimpse of me as I strolled towards the entrance whereas she had a watchful eye over me when I set foot inside the café.

"Hey," she chirped as I sat down in front of her. I let myself study her appearance. She had her hair tied in a pony-tail, and her make-up was light but her lips were red and full. Kissable. Her clothing consisted of a white printed T-shirt that clung to her like skin, opposite to what her dark baggy jeans were trying to achieve. She looked like a teenager barely passing puberty.

I smiled in spite of myself. "Hello Nikki,"

"You look," she trailed her eyes from bottom to up to scan my form. "Daring, but who am I kidding? You always do,"

True enough. I was wearing a black and yellow striped cardigan over a white spandex tank-top, and the shortest twill shorts I'd found in my closet. I threw in some grey leather boots, and walked out of the house without a second glance in the mirror. "As do you,"

Her dark eyes sparkled in amusement. "I've already ordered the usual. So how was it? Have you begun filming?"

"No," I replied.

Her plump lips opened and then closed. My left eye twitched again. I put a hand over it.

"Is something wrong?"

I shook my head and bounced back at our topic. "We weren't able to shoot a single scene because Stephanie wasn't able to come to the studio yesterday. The director was interesting though. Her name's Lydia Maxwell. In the first meeting we had she asked – no, she ordered Peter and I to kiss,"

Her eyebrows arched. "Wow,"

"What?" I responded stolidly, my voice deepening. I stared at her, waiting for it. For her reaction.

"I think that. . ." She grimaced at first but then said, "Never mind,"

"No really. What is it?" I prompted.

For a moment, I thought I saw an inexplicable emotion pass her face. I could've just imagined it, of course. The waiter brought us our coffee but I pretended not to notice and sat perfectly still, my gaze planted solely on her.

She shrugged, and said in a high-strung voice. "I just thought that was a weird situation,"

"The thought of me and Peter kissing is weird?"

"No, of course not," she justified.

"I'm sure _you_ would know,"

_There it is._

"What?" her voice was below hearing level, and there was nothing but confusion written all over her face. And maybe that passing, elusive emotion that she seemed to be having difficultly trying to conceal was there too.

_Damn . . . I promised myself I wouldn't ever bring this up. The plan was to greet hello, take a sip of the coffee, bid good-bye and get the hell out of here._

I gritted my teeth. "You know what,"

She studied my face, her lips pursing. I looked away. I could now only hear the chattering in the background as silence passed over the both of us. I didn't bother drinking the coffee. I felt sick to the stomach already.

"Oh," she blinked, as if she just remembered now. "That,"

"You knew. . . you knew what was going on," I murmured unthinkingly.

"You _did_ notice the costumes didn't you?"

_I did, dammit. But that's beside the point._I watched as a blue Chevrolet park on an empty space right beside my car, and a short balding man dressed in a business suit stepped down from it.

There was movement in front of me, but I ignored it and transferred my gaze to another car. Coming here was a mistake. I wish I could have thought of that sooner. I glanced at my watch. Gavin had told me to drive by to his friend's house so we could talk, hopefully as civilized human beings.

"Liz, would you please look at me?"

I spared her a glance, but then the obnoxious image that I dreaded I might not be able to forget flashed before me. I closed my eyes and sighed.

"It was a short project - A sketch with College Humor. We just had fun; we put on silly costumes and wigs, and we- "

"Why do you sound like you're explaining yourself?"

_And why do I feel this way?_I wanted to add.

"That was so long ago . . . and to be honest, thinking about it until now, it's unsettling for me,"

_For you?_

"Look Nikki, I gotta go," I said through clenched teeth, resisting the powerful urge to hiss at her.

"Liz, please. We won't be able to see each other for a while. I don't want this to be our last conversation. That was . . . Peter and I haven't mentioned to you about it. We didn't think it'd be that important and- "

"You're right; it isn't. It wasn't the act itself Nikki," I shook my head, and kept my voice as low as she could possibly hear. "Try to remember . . . try to remember what you said to me that day, and you'll find out why."

If she was a stranger, I could've pitied her. She looked so lost and distant as she sat there, unmoving. She must've remembered when she breathed out and fluttered her eyelashes. And the emotion that kept passing her face was shown to me crystal clear since she now grasped hold of it and refused for it to pass by. It was fear.

"I'm sorry Liz. But that was before I knew- "

"Before you knew what? That I was in love with him? Well then, you could've fooled me. News flash Nicole: I was not and am not in love with that man. You and I were delusional back then, and I was even entertaining that thought even if he was married. But that doesn't change the fact that I am in no way considering that I am actually in love with him."

"I don't believe it,"

I realized that we were leaning towards each other, and our voices were raspy tones. I stared at her wide-eyed, my voice gone.

Her scowl was accusing. "I've seen the way you look at him. Many times. And sometimes, I feel like I'm intruding," her expression turned sullen. "It's not something you could easily hide Liz. Don't deny me. Don't deny yourself."

I still haven't recovered from speechlessness. I'd always thought that she was joking when she talks about this . . . topic. It was different then; she'd say it in a light, teasing tone and we'd end up laughing hysterically about it.

"I'd thought you knew. . . and didn't mind," she added quietly.

"I don't," I said hastily, as if been jolted by electricity. "But as I said- "

"I know what I said Liz. That was a stupid thing to say; stupid enough that you can still remember it until now. But bear in mind that he and I are too different, you know that."

I abruptly stood up from my seat and in the most politely strained way possible, told her, "Well whatever it is, it was worth it wasn't it?"

And I exited the coffee shop without looking back.

OooOooO

"What happened?"

I slumped down the couch and threw my head against the pillows. "Why do you ask?"

"You look stressed,"

"I look stressed all the time," I mumbled.

Gavin sat beside me. We were both in his friend's living room. When I came here, Gavin was already waiting near the gate. They were working on a project in his friend's basement.

I saw him glance at my bags on the floor. "So you'll be leaving after?"

"You know it,"

He sighed and I sat up straighter. His eyes had formed circles underneath them, pretty much because of whatever is in the basement. He looked paler than usual and his hair was ruffled. I wanted to ruffle it more but after what happened between us, I'd feel weird doing it.

"I'll miss you," he sighed again, and kept glancing at my bags. "We won't be seeing each other in a long time."

"Gavin, do you sometimes feel like punching me in the face?"

He looked genuinely surprised. "Of course not,"

I raised one of my eyebrows at him.

Avoiding my gaze, he said in a low, raspy tone. "Rarely,"

He raised his eyes to mine and a flash of regret and anger pass his face. "Okay sometimes,"

"And at the same time, you just want to smack your lips against mine?"

"It goes without question," he smiled for the second time since he saw me.

"I feel the same," I admitted bluntly. "All the time,"

He snorted. "That sounds comforting,"

I smirked at him. "Your text messages sound comforting,"

"Oh god. . . " he groaned and slumped against the cushions. "I was cranky when I decided to let you know I was still alive,"

"Really? I never would've known,"

He grinned wolfishly at me and for a moment the side of me that really wanted to kiss him overruled. And so I did.

Or at least I tried.

He stopped me and I couldn't help feeling rejected. "Liz, I wanna talk first," he reasoned. "Don't get me wrong I've been dying to kiss those lips of yours since the Renaissance, but this might be the only chance we could talk properly without targeting at each others' throats,"

I understood so I nodded and leaned back against the couch. "Gavin, I swear to you. It's just a movie. Nothing's gonna happen. Besides, how many times have I hooked up with my co-workers?"

A smile tugged at his lips. "Once. With me,"

"Exactly. But I'd never called that a mistake. Don't you see Gavin? I'm madly in love with you. But sometimes, you get on my nerves pretty badly,"

A sigh once again escaped his lips. "You're right. I may be too . . . obsessive sometimes,"

I smiled. "It's normal. That means you love me just as much, right?"

"More," he replied.

"But not as much as you trust me."

He turned to my bags again. "I'm sorry. It's just . . . You and Facinelli are close. And he's a decent enough guy to catch your eye, and I'm afraid that the on-screen might turn into an off-screen. I've seen _that_ many cases over my years. And they say experience is the best teacher. Look at what happened to my previous relationship,"

"But I'm committed to you. And I've had my fair shares of decent enough male co-stars to prove you that," I insisted. "And I'm not _her,_"

"Alright, alright . . ."

Now _I_ was geniunely surprised. "What? Don't tell me I've convinced Gavin Wiesen through the use of mere words!"

He chuckled and put a hand against my right cheek. "What happened really, before you came here?"

I shook my head. "It was nothing important. Just stupid girl stuff. What were you guys doing down in the basement?"

"Planning. It sounds like what college nerds do often: Being in the basement and whatnot. But Reese's basement doesn't look like a basement at all." he stroke my cheek.

"I guess he put a lot of investment in there then. His interior looks shitty," I remarked, astonished at how immensely terrible the furniture arrangement here is.

"Hm, yeah. I guess you could say that," he agreed, eying the prehistoric-old shag carpeting, contemplating as to why it had survived the meteor crash landing on earth.

Now it was me who glanced nervously at my bags. "Well I should be going now. Steph's going to meet us and maybe we could squeeze in a scene today,"

By the looks of it, Gavin was sad. I felt ten times sadder. "This is good-bye then,"

I leaned towards him and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. Not a second later he deepened it, his tongue softly colliding with mine. His thumb was gently stroking my cheek while his other hand circled around my waist. I placed both of my hands against his chest. It reminded me how much I needed his touches.

"Ah!"

Instead of being startled, I rigidly turned to the source of the sound and glared at the person. I think Gavin must've done the same.

The man stood in front of us, his face looked freshly shaved. Smelled like aftershave. His hair was jet black and was swept back. He wore a simple gray sweatshirt and pants. His expression was so apologetic that I almost felt ashamed.

"Reese," Gavin spoke hoarsely. And I was rather angry that he didn't sound pissed.

Reese scratched his lightly-bearded chin. "Hey man, I'm sorry for interrupting. . . Jeez, just when you guys are gonna have your last make-out session,"

I looked to Gavin and saw him roll his eyes. I cocked my head to Reese and smiled.

"You must be Elizabeth, the one who Gavin yaps about almost seventy percent of the time."

"Almost?" I playfully threw a glare at Gavin.

He and Reese laughed. The latter said, "I'm Reese McAdams, Gavin's go-to guy. If Gavin's right about one thing, it's that you _are_ a beautiful woman. Are you hungry, cold or needy? Perhaps you would like a man that's always around unlike Gavin here,"

"Don't mind him," Gavin whispered in my ear. "He's a naturally born flirt. He can't help it. And he owns this place,"

I giggled, still flushed. "I can forgive," I whispered back.

"As much as she would like to avail of those unlikely requests, she has a movie to film," Gavin told him.

There was a distinct sadness in his cheery voice, and so I kissed him on the cheeks.

Reese's smile widened. "Can't wait to see it,"

Gavin and I looked at each other. "I'll miss you a lot,"

"I'll miss you too," Gavin trailed off and eyed Reese. Probably telling him to leave us alone for a moment.

My guess was confirmed when Reese must've quietly left the room as I turned. He was gone.

"Hey," he said, his lips turning to a mischievous grin. "How about we play a game,"

I arched my eyebrows in confusion, _and_ suspicion. "What game?"

He hummed. "It's more like a challenge,"

"Go on,"

Biting his lip, he kept from smiling. "For one year . . . we go our separate ways. If we don't hook up with other people, by the end of the year; you'll be hearing wedding bells,"

Emotions whirled inside me. "What?" I whispered.

"I won't say more,"

"Damn right you will. Gavin, what were you talking about? What wedding bells?" I asked, my heart beat audible in my ears.

He pressed his forefinger and thumb together and made a line motion to his mouth. "My lips are sealed."

I already knew Gavin wouldn't let this one slip so I just simply tucked his words at the back of my mind. For later pondering of course. "I love you," I told him.

"As I love you," said Gavin, as he pulled me in for another kiss.

* * *

_A/N : So yeah, I'm back on track. Stay tuned lovely readers ~ _

_Cheers,_

_DyM_


	25. Chapter 23

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_Yeesh. It's been so long. You guys thought I'd leave this unfinished didn't you? But really. Storm-Blackout-Exams-Shopping-Christmas parties. That pretty much sums up my excuse. Anyway, enjoy!_

_DISCLAIMER : Twilight and the belowmentioned titles does not belong to me._

* * *

**Chapter 23**

Peter POV

"When I was a kid, I wanted to be a police woman or a double agent of some sort but then again, a shame would it be, had I wasted away my superb acting skills,"

I smiled gently at the seventeen-year old's confidence. I haven't seen her in action yet, but something told me it'd be a sin to assume she had no possession of those 'superb skills' she meant.

She whipped her head to me, her long curls heavily catching up with her. "How about you Peter?"

I chuckled. This had to be her twenty-something-th question since she got here. Such a curious young lady. "Well I studied to be a lawyer and- "

"Oh wow! Attorney Facinelli. It sounds tough. Like Mike Tyson. His name makes you cringe, don't you think?"

"Yes but- "

"How come you're not in a suit then?" her cunning brown eyes did a quick but thorough scan of me from head to toe. "Were you worried your God-given talent would go to waste too?"

I bit back a smile. "If you want me to answer you, you should stop cutting me- "

"I wonder what Elizabeth wanted to be before the desire to act took her over," she looked up at the ceiling, as if there were answers written there.

"Ella," I said gruffly. "You won't be able to sate that curiosity if you keep cutting people off."

As soon as I said this, her shoulders drooped down, as did her head. "Sorry," she murmured, turning away from me. "It's just that . . . ever since my father died, I had no one to talk to. Mom's always busy with her work, and all my manager could talk about is making money."

I sat motionless, half-suspicious and half-regretting the fact that I couldn't indulge her in talking whatever nonsense she wanted. I sympathized for her then, imagining how a cheery young lady goes through rough moments in her life with a smile on her face. Truth is, I had experience loneliness on different levels myself thus my brain is already in the process of forming an apology. It was at the tip of my tongue, but then the brief silence dissolved between us when her teary eyes gazed sadly at me, and she whispered, "Superb,"

I was gaping now, all thought of apologizing on hold. "What?"

With a tear drop rolling down her cheeks, she added in a clear voice, "My acting skills."

"You're impossible," I raised an eyebrow at her. The feeling of guilt gone completely when a smile succeeded from her face.

"That's good enough, I think," she said, wiping off her tears like it was merely sweat. Her expression shifted as quickly as she would put on another mask. Incredible how she managed to take full control of her facial expression. I know only a few good actors that can pull that off.

I showed her I was impressed by nodding my head as if in approval. "It was good, though it needs more practice,"

Rolling her eyes, she got up from the leather chair and twirled like a ballerina, just for the sake of it. I watched her and thought that she'd make a great Alice. "I know you're impressed," she quipped and pointed at me, "Hey we both need to stop faking. You wouldn't want to be called a faker rather than an actor."

"Says you," I retorted playfully, crossing my arms.

Ella Winters skipped across the room. Her knee-length skirt floating around her knees. Hyperactivity must have come in package when puberty hit her. If it did hit her. I could have mistaken her for a child had she not mentioned her age. If she was only a bit shorter and paler, she'd give Ashley Greene a run for her money. But then again, if I could envision a young Esme, she'd enter the picture perfectly.

"They take so long to come here," she groaned, lifting herself up to sit on the ceramic kitchen counter.

"Liz's on her way," I surmised.

"I can't wait to meet her. And Robert too," she added the last name, her eyes dreamy.

"Rob's a good catch. You better be quick though - he's a chick magnet,"

She put both of her hands on each of her cheeks; seemingly covering a part her blushing face. "Hmph," she now hid her whole face with her fingers spread out. Her eyes peeked out. "Please please please don't tell him. Don't even mention it when he's around. Promise me that," she pleaded not in her usual boisterous voice.

"I promise," I told her. Teasing her was one thing, teasing her when the object of her teasing is around was another. And besides, I don't think Rob would appreciate dealing with infatuation right now. Especially with a teen-aged girl. I wanted to reassure Ella of my promise, but she appeared to be more than ready to move on to another topic.

"Have you read all the Twilight books?"

She raised her eyes to mine, the red on her face slowly diminishing. "Yes, but to tell you honestly," she searched the room for intruding ears even though we were the only ones in the area at this moment. "I've read better ones, and all I've read are bad ones,"

A chuckle escaped my lips. I made myself comfortable against the soft cushions. "What urged you to audition then?"

She shrugged and hopped off the counter and proceeded to explore the room. "I liked Dr Carlisle and Esme's love story. I think it's sweet that they both wanted marriage instead of just mating. They're the most humane among all the couples. Have you read their story?"

"In the script, yes. Have you?"

She vigorously shook her head, as if what I said was the wrongest of all things. "No, I didn't mean in the script. The actual story. I don't remember its title, but it was an amazing fic even though it was fan-made. I've read it a couple of months ago. Brought me to tears," she winked at me. "Real tears. I think it was what the script based on. They're similarity is uncanny. I resorted to reading fan fiction ever since,"

"That's nice," I murmured absently, recalling I'd read a fan fiction about myself falling in love with a teen-aged girl I met on Starbucks.

"Hmm . . . " she resumed her adventurous journey around the airy room, stopping at the door. "I think I want to take a look around. See 'ya later, Peter!"

An amused grin broke into my face when I heard her laugh, saying, 'It rhymed!' after she shut the door close. I rested my head on the soft cushions, noticing it smelling like lavender. My eyes fluttered; my vision dimming. The reason why last night I was up late still had me confused, wondering why I couldn't get rid of the bloody aftertaste the wine left on my mouth.

oOoOoOo

"They're here! They're here!"

I jumped at the noise and frantically searched around the room. My head felt dizzy, and I let out a long yawn. I must have dozed off. I checked the time and found out that I was not awake for about twenty minutes.

Ella burst into the room in glee. "Mr. Richard and Ms. Liz are here!"

I rubbed my eyes. _They came together?_ As if to verify this thought, Liz and Richard Armitage entered the room, following a skipping Ella.

"Now we only need to wait for Stephenie and Rob!" Ella announced, taking her place on the couch. "And Ms. Maxwell, of course. Aaand for the other set crew, the costume designers, and . . ."

I dragged a hand down my face. I felt incredibly weary. I looked up and for distraction, studied the man beside Liz. He was a good-looking fellow, whose clothing and stature revealed his status. He stood a bit taller than me perhaps; a dark well kept hair, fair skin, and a pair of provocative green eyes.

"Peter Facinelli," he addressed me in a deep, British accent. Liz looked swooned beside him. I took a reminder to tease her about it later. I held out my hand as he held out his, and we shook. "Richard Armitage,"

He smiled, his light-bearded chin cocking up a bit. I looked to Liz and saw her with a wide smile. "I see you two already met,"

Richard snickered, and languidly pointed at Liz. "She honked at me,"

"Only because you were cutting me off," Liz, whom I noticed hadn't looked at me since they entered, defended.

"Well if I'd known such a lovely lady was behind the wheels, I wouldn't cut her off," Richard shot back in a deeper, melodic voice.

I laughed breathlessly. I saw Ella squint from the corner of my eye. She hopped off the couch and held out her small hand. "Ella Winters," she nodded at the new-comers.

"Hi Ella, I'm Richard," he responded, ignoring her hand and went instead to ruffle her curls. I now considered she was short enough to be Alice.

"Hey! Don't treat me like a kid! I'm seventeen, 'ya know!"

"You look much younger than you're supposed to," Liz commented when Ella held out her hand to her. Liz endearingly complied. I still haven't met her eyes, and somehow, it was unnerving.

Ella stood on her tiptoes, and gestured to herself. "I'll be playing young Esme. But I wish my hair was as pretty as yours,"

"Oh Ella, I'll let you in a little secret," Liz bent a little, giving out a view of her cleavage. I quickly looked away, worried if the other man had seen it.

"It took my friend seven and a half hours to curl and dye my hair like this,"

"Really?" the teen stood on her tiptoes again to take a good look at the top Liz's head. "It looks so natural on you though,"

_It does_, I thought. Richard occupied a space on the couch and crossed one leg on top of the other. Even in his sitting position, he looked undoubtedly immaculate.

"Richard, do want coffee? I'll make some," Liz suggested, already on her way to the small kitchen.

"Yes please," while Richard said this, I followed Liz with a murmured, "I'll help,"

We both began to prepare the coffee in silence. She turned on the stove while I filled up the pot with water. While she was scooping the coffee powder, I reached over to her left get the sugar. I was struck by her perfume, so I had to hold my breathing for a short while to keep me from sniffling her like a dog.

"Have you already unpacked?" I asked her.

Still somehow avoiding my eyes, she answered a hushed no and continued to watch over the coffee. She wore clothing that displayed her assets nicely. It was rude to stare, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from those boots she wore - to her legs specifically. My face flushed red as I turned away to the living room, and saw Richard and Ella chatting on the couch. Probably asking him endless questions too. I turned back and still, she was unusually quiet as she stood motionless, her hands bracing her body on the counter tops. _Something must've happened between her and her boyfriend . . ._

"Liz?"

"Yes?" her voice was an octave higher.

I slowly came towards her, to the point that we were only inches apart. I touched her shoulders, and she immediately jerked away. She kept her eyes down as she turned to me, blinking a few times before turning back to the coffee. She put on a pair of mittens as I backed away, surprised I was still able to move.

_What was wrong with her?_

I minded back to my own business, glancing at her every now and then. Her eyebrows would knit together, her lips a straight line. She was obviously troubled. She poured the hot coffee on three mugs, but then took off into the living room after she added sugar and cream into the two mugs she carried with her.

Something had happened. I just knew it. It was my sixth sense. And it wasn't in regard to her boyfriend.

I was determined to find out about it right away, but a knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. Maxwell's assistant entered the room cautiously. "Hello everyone," she greeted in a forcibly cheerful voice. Her heels were so high I was afraid she might fall down and knock Richard's coffee right into his face. "Ms. Maxwell is on her way here, along with Ms. Meyer. They will enter this room shortly. I apologize for the wait."

"It's not a problem, sweetie," Richard winked at her. With a blush visible on her face, she sputtered out, "R-robert said he'll be late again . . ."

I heard a tiny sound of protest from Ella. I moved to the living room with hands in my pockets. "Are we going to shoot today?"

Joan tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "No, I'm afraid not. It will only be instructions and orientations for now. And Ms. Meyer wanted to talk to you two," she eyed Liz and me.

Just then, we've heard heels tapping on the linoleum floors from outside. The sound reverberated throughout the hallways, followed by a set of vague footsteps.

"T-They're here," Joan squeaked; a hot mess she became, when she panicked and dashed to the kitchen. Liz and Richard looked at each other, grimacing whilst Ella frowned in confusion and impatience. I stood with a neutral expression on my face, fixing my eyes on the door.

Just then it opened, revealing the face that probably haunted Rob in his sleep. Lydia Maxwell scanned her sharp eyes around, not bothering to enter the room thus blocking Steph out of the way. I can only widen my eyes.

"Pattinson is late, again?" she observed in a rather annoyed tone. I resisted the urge to scoff. You were late.

"Ms. Maxwell," Joan spoke confidently, coming towards Maxwell with a cup of coffee in her hands. I guess that was supposed to be mine. I wasn't so hung up on caffeine anyway.

It took a full minute for Maxwell to finally enter the room, her movement graceful. Steph followed behind, looking at her with the same expression I seemed to be having. Maxwell took the cup of coffee, and eyed at it critically. She took a small sip and appeared to be deliberating. She casted Joan an ill-mannered glance. "You finally got it right,"

Maxwell handed the flustered girl the cup. She must have realized that her boss approved of the coffee making of another. I glanced at Liz.

"Long time no see, everybody," Stephenie began. She was wearing a bright red blouse and dark slacks. Her glowing smile was as friendly as I can remember.

"Hi Steph!" Ella greeted her excitedly. Liz gave her a heart-warming smile whilst Richard a smirk. I moved nearer to Steph and held out a hand for her to shake. "Twilight doesn't end, does it?"

"As Vampires never die," Steph replied thoughtfully, shaking my hand.

Richard was beside us then. "Lovely to meet you, Ms. Meyer," he took Steph's hand and laid a gentle kiss at the back of it. I never wanted to roll my eyes as I want to now. Was charm natural for him or what?

"Oh! Richard Armitage. Ditto," Maybe Steph was immune to his charm when she remained cool and collected, a total opposite to what Joan was now.

The man turned to Maxwell. I waited for him to reach out for her hand and do the same and the receive the woman's blank stare but he stood there and simply gave her a smile. "Ms. Maxwell,"

Lydia, whom I've never seen smile as easily, did just that to him. Approval was obviously written all over her face. "Richard Armitage. A brilliant actor, indeed,"

I noted the double meaning and resisted laughter. But the feeling quickly disappeared when Richard pulled off a smart-ass smirk. "Coming from you; it sounds rewarding,"

Lydie let out a tight smile. Stephenie didn't seem to mind the exchange as she gestured to the door. "Richard, Ella, I have something to discuss with the both of you,"

The actors moved towards the exit in silence. Lydia's eyes scanned the room. She stood quite proud in her purple sophisticated business attire and tall black heels. Her expression made her look like she kills puppies in her spare time. Does this woman ever smile? Genuinely? "Why are you here?" she asked.

"What?" I prompted uneasily. She shot her fierce eyes to me. "This room is not to be used by the actors," then she glared at Joan, who seemed to shrank back the moment Lydia's head moved.

"But I thought - "

"I-I'm sorry, the planning was off-" Joan stuttered.

"No excuses Joan," Lydia said sternly. "And go make me some coffee. And this time,_ do it yourself,"_

The assistant scrambled and left the room, looking as shocked as I must be. _How did she-_

"And as for you two; you should go settle in your designated room,"

"You mean rooms," Liz corrected her cautiously, standing from the couch.

Lydia raised a silver eyebrow. "I meant what I said," and _I_ was utterly confused. Her expression was incredulous. "Weren't you informed you two would share a room?"

I nearly choked. The director had succeeded in leaving Liz flabbergasted. "W-what? You're kidding right?"

The silver-haired woman tried to look more skeptical. "Am I the kind of person to kid around, Elizabeth?"

"We're of different sexes, Ms. Maxwell," I said quietly.

"And your point is?"

"Surely this cannot be allowed," Liz justified, her temper flaring.

"Have you read your contract? It says that I have the right to appoint you anywhere I choose, as long as it is work-related," Lydia told us monotonously.

"And as long as it's ethical, that is," Liz grumbled.

"Who said it isn't? You won't be sharing a bed,"

Liz wasn't a bit swayed. "But still, this is absurd."

I have never shared a room with a female co-star before, yet I didn't feel as surprised as I expected I would be.

"I don't see any fault in it. Other actors complied without question,"

"Really?" I sounded hopeful and surprised.

"And besides," she continued with a mischievous smile. I felt a shiver run down my spine. "I believe there is quite a tension that needs to be resolved between you two. We wouldn't want that, now would we?"

I can only blink my eyes in surprise_. What is with this woman?_

"How did you-"

"I am a very observant individual," Lydia cut her off. "As you can see, I figured that Joan wasn't the one who made that coffee, since she was hesitant when she handed me the cup. Joan is a hesitant girl from the start, but this time, she was exceptionally more unsure of what she was doing. And I caught a glimpse of her in the hallways. So she couldn't have made the coffee that quick,"

"As for you two, I have not seen Elizabeth spare a single glance at Peter, and I can tell she's trying not to," Lydia spoke in a friendly manner, which terrified me even more, casting Liz an uncanny smile. "and while at that, Peter did the opposite, throwing her a worried frown every time he got the chance."

Liz and I were speechless. "Have you read Sherlock Holmes?" she asked and I shook my head. "Well neither have I. But I am certain I open up to his ideals," Lydia's smile vanished as she turned to the door. "I hope I haven't intimidated you that much. After all, the movie isn't going to shoot itself,"

Right now, it wasn't the only thing I wanted to shoot.

* * *

A/N: Stay tuned for more.

Cheers and Merry Christmas,

DyM


	26. Chapter 24

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_Please don't hate me. Damn it's been so long. Hey life happened, don't blame me! haha anyway, I'll try to update ASAP this time. Thank you to those who were still expecting a chapter! R &amp; R_

* * *

**Chapter 24**

Elizabeth POV

Warm, soothing liquid tickled and traveled down my throat,and settled in my empty stomach. Ah, the pleasure of drinking hot coffee on a hot day. All I'd say is good luck to my body temperature and my sunscreen-allergic skin. But it wasn't that I minded, I'd appreciate the tan. Pale skin doesn't suit me.

"Well for one; Edward Cullen doesn't have abs," the prepubescent redhead at the other table began to give one of the reasons why Jacob Black is more drool-worthy than Edward Cullen.

"But... but… everyone has abs!" the stumpy brunette in front of her defended, "And besides, that mutt looks like he's on steroids,"

"But at least he's hotter,"

"Looking like you're on steroids is _not_ hot,"

"Tell that to your skinny bloodsucker," The redhead hissed with defiance.

I blew away the steam of my beverage before taking a small sip, and out of boredom, continued to eavesdrop on the teenaged girls' bickering in regard to my two co-stars, or rather, between my character's adopted son and daughter-in-law's past lover. Before and ever since Twilight hit the cinemas, the world was divided into Team Edward, and team Jacob, and was at neither. I had my eyes on someone else entirely.

Behind the dark tint of my shades, my wandering eyes caught a familiar figure walking towards my direction. A smile crept into my face. "Hi Nicole,"

She took the seat in front of me right away, glancing at the flamboyant girls at the other table. "Sorry I'm late," she told me sheepishly.

"It's nothing. I've been occupied,"_ or eavesdropping, for lack of better word_. "Are you done with your skit?"

She nodded repeatedly, rubbing her hands together. I wondered why for a second, since the streets were practically an oven today. She did look a little pale. Maybe a tad paler than me. _Oh who was I kidding? My skin was stubbornly pale._

I grinned childishly despite my concerns. "Did you get to kiss a hot guy?"

"Huh?" she mumbled, distracted. I quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah, yeah. Say Liz, I was wondering what we could do this weekend. Since you know, the movie's over for now, how about we go have an outing with the girls. It'll be fun,"

"Okay," I uttered carefully, eying her with relentless curiosity. "Why not invite the guys?"

"Maybe I just want to take my mind off them, I don't know," she shrugged.

"Did you and Kellan…?"

"Oh heavens no," she laughed uneasily. "He and I can be only friends," I didn't really mean it as that.. "You and Peter though-"

"Nikki, I need you to stop with all that merciless teasing. He's rumored to be dating someone," I reprimanded her, taking a mindless sip of my coffee. And quickly after realized I forgot to blow on it. I bit my tongue down in a lame attempt to ease down the pain but then realized once again that that was horrible idea.

_What the_\- "So soon?" Nikki inquired.

I shrugged nonchalantly, and pressed my tortured tongue up against the roof of my mouth. I shot my eyes to her. "I'm up for the outing. I'll contact the girls now,"

As I was taking my phone out, she observed me with a stern look on her face. I thought that she would ask if something was wrong with me but then… "You should tell him," she urged. "I just think you're perfect for each other,"

"No," _Never in a million years._ The thought of doing so, however, sent me into a some sort of adrenalin rush. But I knew I couldn't risk anything yet. "No," I repeated, louder this time. "I don't know what made you think that that's a good idea Nikki, but," _there is one thing I always wanted to do..._ "A kiss would be fine," I winked at her. "A real kiss at that, where I would be the one to initiate, 'cause his onscreen kisses seem always so… onscreen."

Nikki let out a brooding chuckle. "You should do that,"

"After our dinner date," I mused, smiling in mischief, dangerously playing around with the thought. "A stolen kiss. I'm not asking for a commitment or anything. The abruptness of it all would surprise the hell outta him."

A smile predictably made its way to Nikki's lips. "You always like surprises don't you?" she murmured, tearing her dark eyes away from mine.

I waited for what she would say next, since she looked like she has something more to say, but she was silent and instead gazed at the people passing by us with a lonesome look on her face.

"Oh my gosh, isn't that _Nikki Reed_?!" someone screeched, followed by an exagerrated gasp. Nicole turned at the mention of her name.

"Look it's Elizabeth Reaser! She's been sitting near us the whole time! Ahh!" Blondie shrieked. It was the loud girls beside us.

"Let's get their autographs, quick!"

"I don't have a pen!"

"Me neither!" she sighed. "If only Edward was here, he'd dash to the nearest store and buy me a hundred-dollar pen,"

"That is, if people won't notice him sparkle like a fairy under the sun on the way there,"

"At least he doesn't need to turn into a dog!"

"Shh lower your voice Tiffany, people are looking,"

"And you just noticed that _now_?" Nicole told them in an icy tone. My attention instantly shifted to Nikki, as my mouth opened in surprise.

I knew deep in my gut that what she said just now was out of impulse. Raw. Unfiltered. Her smart-ass comments were reserved for somewhere else; for anyone else in fact. But not to her fans. Nowhere near her fans.

That confused me. I was only silent afterwards and dared not to question her about it. Her unusual behavior that day was not exactly that questionable, but it had me thinking why, on that same day, had she shared so little about what happened prior to our meeting. All she had talked about is what had happened in the past and what she expects to happen in the future. She seemed to be avoiding any subject related to her 'skit'. Sure we had a lot of fun in our little outing the next day, together with Ashley. But I had been thinking about it during that time. It was odd.

_Now I knew why._

"Um, left or right?"

I stared blankly at the two small-double beds inside the room._ Our room_. I welcomed the shiver running down my spine and glanced briefly at him, and back at the beds. The one beside the window looked oddly more comfortable than the other. I swallowed a chuckle. When will I ever feel comfortable knowing that this man will be sleeping in the bed besides mine? How the hell am I going to feel platonic about this? I am not even past my sex prime! I swear to god if I do something embarrassingly feminine while he's around…

"I'll have the left bed," I muttered indifferently.

"Right," I saw him nod beside me. "I'll take... right,"

If someone told me that one day, Peter and I would be sharing a room, I wouldn't believe this person. In fact, I would rebuke this person to the full extent for thinking such... inappropriate things. Well in retrospect, it would be fine. But seeing how it is now, I wasn't so sure.

A pair of young men suddenly entered the room and set our bags down. Peter and I said our thanks before they headed outside, leaving the two of us awkwardly trying to make things less awkward. I carried my bags and set them beside the large closet, while he set his near his bed. I swallowed, pushing away thoughts that would possibly turn into words if I wasn't careful enough. I approached the dresser with careful steps.

"Isn't this nice?" Peter spoke steadily. He then chuckled, "it's like a sleep over,"

This was nothing like a sleepover. "And we're doing this for the movie,"

A deep hum came from him. I reached for the drawers and open them one by one. I'd be putting my stuff here. Next to his. The smell of fresh wood hit me. It calmed for me a second, until- "Liz, is there something wrong?"

Once again, he read me like an open book. I hate that about him. "I'm fine," I mumbled, looking up at the vanity mirror.

I watched him as he sat on his claimed bed barefoot; his deep-set eyes meeting mine. I fiddled with my curled hair and trailed my eyes down. What I was feeling towards him the whole time was fucking ridiculous. I knew that from the beginning of course. If only there was a power switch for my emotions, I wouldn't be trying so hard to hate him.

Although, I was curious about what he was thinking. And what his fiancée thought of as well. I mean, what would she feel seeing her man doing intimate scenes with his long-term lady friend? Absolutely fine. Because she isn't me. A jealous-ridden, pathetic-

"Did something happen?" he asked quietly.

I didn't realized I had fallen to his stare until he spoke. In panic, I avoided his penetrating gaze and went to the front of the mahogany closet.

My pride got fatally injured when I finally considered the fact that I was jealous; jealous of how Nikki did what I wanted to do so easily. It took me a damn lot to find that little thing called courage inside of me so that I could steal a kiss from him. I was so desperately curious of how Peter would respond, and how it would feel like to commit such an intimate act with him. But instead, that very night after our dinner date, he saw right through me. It scared the living crap out of me. He had then proceeded to have hugged me tightly, murmured sweet venom in my ear, and left me a wreck. Whereas he and Nicole did it without hesitation. I don't even care if it was staged. We kissed in front of the camera too. But how can you call his on-screen kisses, actual kisses? He merely grazes his lips to mine as if it was made of poison. Whenever I see him, I felt so unwanted then. I had not been looking for an affair, but he was still a man after all. Past co-stars kissed me recklessly, married or not. _What is with him?_

I gritted my teeth silently, opening the cabinet door. I arranged the closet hangers, grasping to anything capable of shifting my attention.

"Have I done something wrong to you Liz?"

I felt my left eye twitch. _Always so damn frank_, I thought hastily. I skimmed my fingers along the smooth wood, and answered in a perfectly stoic voice. "You did nothing wrong to me,"

"You know, after all these years I still can't figure you out,"_ quite the contrary, don't you think?_ "and yet somehow I know that there's something you're not telling me. I don't like what's going on Liz. I was really looking forward to do this movie with you, hoping that both of us could have fun; to bring back the old times. I don't understand, we were fine the last time we saw each other,"

"I'm fine, Peter. No need to worry yourself over me." I let him know, feeling the sting of his words myself.

"Was the wine that bad?"

I giggled in spite of the eerie atmosphere here inside the not-too-spacious room. I wanted to tell him that the wine was quite terrific but a frown quickly took over my lips. I closed my eyes and breathed slowly through my nose. I just couldn't get over it. I was horrified to have known that I may have.. feelings for this man. But I was sure I was in love with Gavin. Despite him being a jealous prick and all. _But I don't blame him. I would get jealous of me too._ Wait what? I internally groaned. This was all too complicated.

"You lied when you said it was good, didn't you?"

"To tell you frankly, I orgasmed when I drank the wine," I told him in a soft voice, desperately trying to hide my smile.

"Oh wow," I could tell he was amazed by my choice of words. "I guess it was really good," he laughed merrily. I missed that wonderfully masculine laugh. _Ugh, I wish I wasn't so detail-oriented,_ I thought with a roll of my eyes.

I finally turned to him. He still had that lovely smirk I fell in love with the first time he showed it to me. It was so annoying. Sighing, I walked to the bed adjacent to his and lied down, closing my eyes.

"Seriously Liz, you can tell me anything. Anything at all. But save the girly stuff for Nikki, alright?"

A pang of loneliness hit me even though he spoke of those words. I answered him anyway, "Okay,"

"We're roomies after all,"

_For a whole year._

I sat up and crossed my legs together. I looked at his form. The dark ambience of the room was quite in contrast with his smile. I delightfully skimmed my eyes along strong, recently shaved jaw, then up to his blond dishevelled hair, and down to his prominent Adam's apple, and finally to his pair of his captivating eyes. I was absolutely in danger.

"Thank you," I whispered, and then upped the volume of my voice. "I'll tell you anything but... can we make an exception for now? I feel like I should just keep this to myself. We all have to have our secrets, don't we?"

"Of course," he murmured apologetically. He appeared to be paying complete attention to my reactions. I loved that about him. I struggled to keep a straight face. "I don't want you to feel forced or anything,"

"No, I'm not feeling that way at all. I'm sorry for acting like… that. Being distant. I guess I was just nervous,"

"And you have every right to. You're the main star after all,"

I groaned, and for good reasons this time. "You don't need to remind me that again,"

"Sorry," he grimaced.

I still felt uneasy, but the opportunity of seeing his smile outweighed what remaining jealousy I so shamefully possessed.

"I really hope you're okay Liz. A smile suits you better than a frown. Just wanted you to know that."

"Gee thanks," I rolled my eyes at him, and at the slight flutter of my heart.

Peter stood up after he heard a soft knock at the door. He glanced briefly at me and strode to it.

"Mr Facinelli, Ms Reaser." A boy that must be in his twenties greeted after Peter opened the door. "Madame Maxwell and Ms Meyer called for you in the main office,"

"We'll be there. Fourth floor to the left, correct?"

The young man with a pencil tucked behind his ear smiled brightly. "Yes sir,"

Peter then closed the door before I raised from the bed and made my way to the bathroom to freshen up. I took my make-up kit from one of my bags first and carried it with me. When I first entered the room, I only gave half of my attention to the two beds (in courtesy of my blatant thoughts for the other half). But now I took my time and scanned the room. Outside, almost half of the fifth floor was ours. The kitchen was located at the left side of the floor. As wide as it was, the bedroom wasn't as spacious. Inside, the walls had a maroon red wallpaper, and the floor had a dark brown furry carpeting. I enjoying brushing my feet against the soft fur as I walked towards the bathroom. Which much to my chagrin, looked awfully romantic. It was a slight contrast to the bedroom with its harmonious color combination of aqua, black and white. Thankfully, there wasn't a bath tub. Imagination ran wild in my mind even when there wasn't one. My inner self was disappointed of course. I guess Maxwell didn't push it too far.

I slid in front of the wide mirror stretched near the window. I turn on the cold faucet and ran my hands under the warm water, still incredulous to the fact that I was sharing a room of privacy with a man who was not in any case, romantically involved with me. I tried to brush it off, but that alone would take a lot of effort for me.

I turned my head to look at the door and decided whether or not I should close it. The bathroom was big enough for the two of us. But I guess he was too much of a gentleman for that. _Hadn't he unintentionally invaded my privacy already? Seriously, what's holding him back now?_ The fact that he could analyze me so well was frustrating, added to the fact that while he can, I couldn't do the same to him. I was glad Gavin wasn't that complicated, I thought with a small yet sad smile. I took a deep breath before gently splashing water on my face. Take it from someone who considers complicating things a habit.

-0-0-0-

"Hello again guys!" Stephenie beamed at us when Peter and I entered the brightly lit office. Maxwell looked as sassy as ever, as she sat beside the authoress. She appeared to be an emotionless statue, kind of reminding me of someone I know…

"You look lovely Steph," Peter complimented sweetly.

I gave her a follow-up compliment before the brunette thanked us.

"Please take a seat," Maxwell voiced out.

My partner and I sat on each of the chairs laid out in front of them.

"So here we are again," Steph stated cheerfully. "But you as the main couple, or should I say - the only couple,"

"Ms Meyer and I discussed the possible outcome of this small but greatly invested project and we have come to an agreement that this will be a separate franchise from Twilight. This is not a prequel of some sort." My eyebrows shot up.

"We'll make it as a stand alone for… future purposes," Steph's brown eyes twinkled. "And for fresh reputation."

"Yes. That is why we debated on whether or not Robert will play as Edward."

"What?" Peter and I chorused flatly. We shared a look of understanding, then I spoke out, "He's the perfect Edward. How could he be not?"

"He is greatly associated with Twilight," Maxwell explained calmly. Her demeanor left me feeling a little unsettled.

"Steph?" Peter looked to her.

Her reaction wasn't as petrified as ours were. Since they _did_ talk about. But I couldn't believe she considered it! She pondered for a moment. "We have other actors in mind, and well… his character in Twilight slightly contradicts his character here. I admit that that was a mistake in my part."

I pleaded with her silently. Peter spoke, "Was he informed?"

"No. As I said, it is still debated. We'll inform the others by then."

I bit back the urge to argue passionately on why Rob was not only the perfect Edward, he was the only one who can the play him! Or I was being biased. Either way, I personally think Rob being replaced would anger a considerable amount of fans.

"We've hinted something between you two throughout the movies if you've noticed. It wasn't much, but it was subtle enough to catch some people's attention. I knew that this was bound to happen, really. After all, it was the Carlisle and Esme pairing that produced a huge fan who invested and contributed the most in this movie."

I couldn't keep the small gasp that fled from my lips. A fan willingly helped out in making the movie? I have never came across that before. This fan must really be wealthy.

"Perhaps this fan would be disappointed to find out Edward being played by another?"

I glanced at Peter. Good call. I reminded myself to tell him that later. Maxwell didn't look too pleased though.

"She only asked for you two to retain your roles." Maxwell clarified. She then scrutinized us with her sharp eyes. "apparently, she took quite a liking of the two of you."

My heart thumped louder than usual and I felt heat coming up my cheeks. Damn me and my girly reactions.

"What's her name?" Peter seemed unfazed.

"I'm afraid that's confidential. She deliberately asked to stay anonymous. She doesn't even want to be credited at the end of the movie,"

"That's odd…" I murmured.

"I gave her my deepest gratitude," Steph smiled. It was kind of funny looking at the duo. One happy and one grumpy. "I'm glad I got Carlisle and Esme's story out. I wasn't able to elaborate that before, since I focused mainly on their son's relationship with a human. I then had an epiphany on how beautiful their love story had been. And I'm sure you're quite familiar with your characters. This movie will take place in Esme's Point-of-view. It starts with a glimpse of Carlisle then finishes with it as well. I don't doubt but still hope this movie will come out as a success. And thank you, for taking part in molding the first ones. I will give my support always. Best of luck to you two."

"Thank you Steph," Peter and I told her. Her acknowledgment meant a lot to me. I was glad we had her as the one who created this fantastic world of Twilight.

"It's an honor," I continued. "I mean, a lot of others auditioned and I'm pretty sure you guys had a hard time deciding on who'd be getting the roles."

Steph smiled brightly. Maxwell scrunched up her nose and said nothing.

"Fate knows what's up," Peter added, smirking at me.

"Now that Edward and Bella has their happy ending, let's fill out the missing pieces, shall we? After all, if it wasn't for Carlisle, Bella would now just be a boring little human with a boring little life, am I correct Ms. Meyer?"

I almost laughed at Steph's reaction. Peter didn't hold back. The sound was candy to my ears. "Sure,"

"For the first scene we need to do, Peter and Ella are up. The excited young girl is waiting for you now at the make-up area."

"Get ready for the golden contacts and white make-up again, Peter." I warned him playfully.

He grimaced then laughed. "I didn't realize I'd missed those."

"But before that, I believe we have some unfinished business due to Mr Pattinson's abrupt interruption,"

I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Peter remained silent. It took me a full five seconds to have caught up. "Oh,"

I felt uneasy once again. The picture I dreaded to forget flashed in my mind. I wanted to press a hand on my stomach. I felt queasy, and dared not to look at Steph or anyone in the room.

Peter on the other hand looked completely calm, standing up and moving towards me. I bit the insides of my cheek and stood up slowly from the sofa. My knees were betraying me, so I steadied myself by breathing slowly. I linked my hands together which were now snatched by a pair of strong ones. I raised my eyes to his and felt butterflies swarm my stomach. I was sure I caged them up a long time ago, but the man in front of me simply fucked up the lock.

His smile was small but charming. I smiled gently, grazing my teeth lightly on my lower lip. He let go of one of my hands and tapped my chin a bit upward, and as if he was inspecting something my eyes, head tilted slightly to the side. I breathed more shallowly and felt his hand tighten its hold on mine.

And all too suddenly, I forgot I was in an office, what day it was or who were watching as his lips was pressed against mine, very gently. It felt different than when we first shared a kiss back in the office. My eyes shut close, and the rest of my body stayed frozen. His scent was unforgivably masculine and the way his eyelashes touched my skin sent a trail of fire in my abdomen. I controlled myself and moved my mouth tentatively.

His lips was a different story. It moved sensually against mine. I could only compare the warmth of the kiss to the sun. It was hot.

As I felt too much of everything at once, I fought the urge to frown. He had kissed a lot of women before me, I was sure this wasn't a different matter to him.

"OK, this is weird,"

When I managed to pull away from Peter, breathless and spent, I looked at the intruder. I wasn't even mad. Having him intrude on us twice was amazing, really. And besides, I had no definition of what I was feeling right now.

"Sorry?" Rob spoke, looking amused and uncomfortable at the same time.

I laughed shortly after, and avoided meeting Peter's eyes for the rest of the day.

* * *

_A/N: Me being busy is an understatement, but I really want to make this story happen. I know it has slow progress but who's rushing? _

_Leave a review if you can. I tend to get tearily inspired if you do._

_Cheers,_

_disYmis_


	27. Chapter 25

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_So yeah apparently I uploaded a chapter. lel.  
_

* * *

**Chapter 25  
**

DAY 1

Ella POV

Nana used to say, in her sweet earnest voice, 'If you can't stomach something, put something in your stomach'. Now I was sure why I wasn't as skinny as other girls my age. It was a sunny morning, and hot enough to burn the pale hue of my skin. I was ready to go to the studio, but Nana scolded me through the phone for not even _considering_ visiting her first. When I arrived at her house, she rained my face with kisses and stuffed my tummy with her delicious home baked choco-chip cookies. Then I asked myself _why_ I didn't I even consider coming here. It was weird that other parts of my day were a big fat blur. I can recall vaguely that I got out of bed with a mixed feeling of excitement and anxiety residing in my stomach, mostly with the latter.

After that and before this, I couldn't remember.

Maybe partly because my mind was in jumbles and my palms couldn't stop sweating. Or maybe because Robert smiled at me earlier. _No matter!_ I needed to focus.

I was now in a recently built hospital room, perched on a gurney with my left leg laid out in front of me while my right was dangling down the floor. Peter was displaying an enigmatic smile beside me despite his face having caked with powder while donned in a white lab coat. The crew members around us were bolting from one place to another; cameramen were chattering and adjusting the positions of their camera for at least a dozen of times already, and even that Joan girl made herself look like she needed a six-month vacation, twice a year.

I sat unmoving as I watched the scene with wandering eyes. My palms were slicked with sweat again, so I hastily dragged them across the sheets to dry them up. It was so obvious that I was feeling antsy. I was honestly surprised nobody prepared an ambulance outside just in case I'd have a breakdown.

"Ready for our first scene?" Peter queried. I broke out of my thoughts and cocked my head to him, openly casting my eyes over his face. The cosmetics team wasn't playing around; Peter looked like he saw a ghost. And was _still_ seeing one. Not to mention the golden contacts he wore. His overall appearance sealed the deal. To me, this was exactly what Dr Cullen looks like. Minus the goofy grin. I was just more than glad that I didn't need as much makeup. He barely made any effort of keeping a straight face when the makeup lady chalked his face with powder. It took me everything not to let out an unladylike guffaw.

"Yeah," I peered around and amidst the mess, spotted Elizabeth talking to the director. Her face was serious and attentive, nodding to the woman's every word. I blinked, my stomach pleasantly filled with butterflies. "but I don't like that we're taking this scene first. I mean, you're going to fix a not-yet broken leg." I looked at my unscathed leg covered with bloody cosmetics.

"I just go with whatever floats Lydia's boat, but I believe that she knows what she's doing,"

"Still it feels wrong, y'know,"

"You'll get used to it,"

I swung my dangling leg back and forth and almost cursed out loud when I accidentally came in contact with the cold metal attached to the bed. "I hope so. I kind of have this OCD regarding chronological events,"

"I'm sure you will. After all, Prince Charming is watching," he grinned like a child. Definitely not Carlisle-like.

I rolled my eyes and pouted as the butterflies in my stomach swarmed wildly. I might need to cage them if I want to keep a straight face throughout the day. "You better not tease me when he's around or else," I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Or else what?" he quirked an eyebrow.

"I'm gonna tell Liz that she's going to kiss an asshole,"

_Oh yeah, I was entirely aware of how many kissing scenes they'll do._ He laughed merrily, and I marveled the way his cheeks grew noticeably human-like under the vampire facade. It was kinda endearing to look at.

"That's an insult to her, not to me," he recovered from the laugh a bit.

I shrugged and scratched my leg. Darn, the make-up is doing magic on my skin again. "I'm sure she won't mind if it's you, y'know."

He let out a goofy grin again. _Man, this guy and his grins_. "And why is that?"

My face grew hot as I realized what I'd said. I didn't mean to compliment him! "'cause you're her friend, y'know,"

"Alright, places!"

Peter helped me up from the gurney when the director signaled us to begin, and my heart doubled its beating speed. _We were finally going to shoot._ I thought as I helplessly tried to hide a grin. I moved beside two extras who were playing as Esme's parents and glanced nervously at Peter. He smirked and mouthed '_good luck_' to me. I wanted to say '_you too_' but I figured he didn't need it.

My fake parents and I went out of the hospital set and into an empty space outside. There were several cameras panned around the room, and the lighting were adjusted. Everything was so orchestrated that I was afraid a little mistake would ruin the flow.

Peter appeared to be exceedingly into character. His usually disarrayed hair was the complete opposite now. His lips were a straight line and his posture was rigid and unmoving, save for his breathing and blinking. There was an aura of authority that surrounded him. I suddenly felt extremely honored to have him as my co-actor.

I shook off from my moment of awe and resumed on keeping a professional demeanor. No use gaping at him were I should be looking in pain. I'll be doing that afterwards anyway.

"Ella, hold on to Michael please," the guy behind the camera instructed.

I turned to the extra on my left as he held out his hand. Taking it, I draped my other arm around his neck and leaned into him. The woman on my right grasped the small of my back as Peter exited the set.

Another woman dressed as a nurse was standing in front of us, holding a chart. I resisted laughter when I saw that she must've had more makeup on her than Peter.

"Is everything set?" the director asked, more to herself I guess, standing up from her seat and circled the set like a hawk ready to jump on its prey. That woman's eyes were practically made to drop men's undies down to their knees, and not in a good way.

The sound of her heels tapping on the floor disturbed the silence that began to form in the studio. But the audio guy decided against it when he turned on the sound effects of a bustling hospital.

"Michael, carry Ella instead." the director ordered.

I felt my eyes widen to a certain degree when the guy I was leaning against suddenly push the back of my knees upward and carried me bridal style. I bit my lips. I hope I wasn't too heavy. I knew I shouldn't have eaten that big bag of Doritos right before I came here.

The makeup lady came to me again and dabbed my cheeks with flesh powder. I leaned my head on the man's shoulders when she gestured me to do so, squeezed eyedrops into my eyes. I blinked rapidly, forcing out tears. I was surprised the man who was carrying me remained steady. The lady flashed a thumbs up to the director's direction.

"Action!" she called out.

My face contorted in pain while my fake parents fussed over me. Cameras were moving fast and were panning on different angles. I paid attention to my surroundings and silently prayed I won't fail.

"Right here Mr and Mrs Platt," the nurse pushed through the door and it swung open. I felt streams of tears rolling down my cheeks. I ignored the discomfort.

"Where's the doctor?" my fake mom asked.

"Mr and Mrs Platt, correct? I will take it from here." a different voice instructed. We all turned to Peter as he entered. "Dr McCallister filed an emergency leave so I took over him. Nurse, lead her guardians outside, we need room for her to breathe," Peter instructed in a smooth honeyed voice. I forgot how irresistibly cool he sounded when he talked as Carlisle.

"Yes doctor," the nurse handed him the chart.

_She was enamored by how beautiful he looked.  
_

My mouth fell slightly open as I was laid on the gurney, my eyes were to never leave his form.

"My name is Dr Cullen, and is this your daughter?" he asked and from the corner of my eye, I saw my fake parents nod.

"Doctor, will she be able to walk again? She fell from a tree… there was blood everywhere, a-and…" Michael did a great job mixing panic and worry in his voice.

"I will do the best I can Mr Platt, now if you may,"

My fake mom's hand let go of my shoulder when the nurse led them outside the set.

"Cut!" Ms Maxwell ordered. I relaxed my tensed shoulders and looked over to her. The cameras were on the move again, now nearer to us. The lighting were readjusted, and the makeup lady came to us.

The director narrowed her dark eyes at me. I was rather impressed with myself when I didn't cower away. "Remember that your leg is broken, young lady. I know he looks unreasonably pleasant to the eye but don't overdo it."

If I said I didn't blush, that would be the most pathetic lie even I could come up with. I nodded, embarrassment washing over me. I looked up and saw Peter's smug smile; he really was horrible at hiding things. I tore my eyes away from him. _He doesn't even look that handsome! I only did it for the script! _Yes, he was handsome, but I didn't want to think about it too much since he was old enough to be my father. Actually, I was thinking of swinging my foot to his crotch though.

"Okay, action!"

I discreetly let out a sigh and bit my lip, rubbing my teary eyes.

"Did you hit your head, dear?" he began, searching for any bumps on my head. His hands were gentle as they kneaded my head.

"I don't think so," I rasped, and stared at the prehistoric eye chart behind him. It was probably older than my Nana.

He creased his pale forehead and hummed. I swore it was the most pleasant thing I've heard today, aside from Nana's voice of course. "Haven't the nurses already given you pain killers?"

"Yes, it has become bearable,"

"It is a good sign. Although I apologize for every pain I may cause you throughout the treatment," he murmured sincerely.

I nodded slowly and caught Liz smile behind the director.

-.-.-.-

I landed on a green foam with a thud. I peeked at my left to see if it was a good shot. I could just tell just by looking at the director's face. She didn't scowl at the video monitor, so I guess it was good.

"Esme! How must you be so reckless?" my fake mom, whose name was Janine, exclaimed.

I let out a low groan, and clutched my leg in pain. I had actually broken my leg once, when I was eight, so I know exactly how Esme must've felt in this situation. And I know I'm good at pretending. Why? Because I was doing a pretty good job pretending not to mind that we were doing the before-I-was-dazzled-by-Dr Cullen scene when I was already dazzled. Damn OCD.

"Prepare the carriage, Marie."

I threw the old century transportation a pained look. _Ugh. I hate horses_. They can CGI wolves, can't they just do the same with horses?

-.-.-.-.-

"We're done for today," Joan informed us, looking more thankful than anyone in the room. I was surprisingly not exhausted but sating my hunger was my topmost priority now. We would get an all-you-can-eat buffet thrice a week and unfortunately, it wasn't today.

"I've decided I'll stay here for awhile," Richard said. I turned from my seat and saw Peter, Liz, Rob and him standing near the director's chair.

"Not sure about me, but I'd wanna go home for now. Lot of things to take care of first." Rob told them, much to my chagrin. "What's the menu for today? I haven't done anything yet and I'm starving."

A guy came to me and handed me a Snickers bar I'd been craving for ever since we started shooting. I murmured a 'thanks' and continued to eye the four adults.

"Something about the chef's special." Peter responded.

"That chef was quite a looker, eh Robert?" Richard nudged him.

I fumed silently, almost biting off a wrapper from the chocolate bar. Rob on the other hand merely shrugged. "She's okay," A smile of victory formed on my lips, which I cleverly hid behind my food. I think I saw the chef here somewhere. I guess she was pretty enough to be more noticed by Richard, but not pretty enough for Robert to care. _Ha._

"She served us in New Moon right?" the only woman from the group asked.

"I remember her telling me not to ever touch her high-tech bender again." Peter, while still in his onscreen attire grimaced.

Liz chuckled, probably hit by nostalgia. "You sure have that special talent of utilizing kitchen appliances."

Peter laughed. Liz and him shared a look that I know was only going to be interrupted by someone.

"Geez Peter, you look completely different now." Richard commented, his eyes scrutinizing the man's face.

I swallowed a bitten piece of the chocolate before I chortled.

"I do, huh?"

"I think he looks cute," Liz said sweetly.

"Aw thanks, Liz,"

I narrowed my eyes at them. If that wasn't flirting, I don't know what is. My inner fangirl giggled. Wait till I tell my 'Lizter' friends about this.

-.-.-.-.-

"So, you and Jamie Alexander are getting married huh?" Richard prompted.

I almost choked on the beef steak I was eating. _What?!_

"Yeah," Peter confirmed. I cast a wary glance at him and continued to eat silently. _How did I not know about that?_

"She's a lucky woman," Liz remarked from across the table.

"He's a lucky man," Richard added, and I choked again._ Oh lord that exchange was weird_. I carefully, in the most careful way possible, witnessed Peter's reaction.

Which was… passive, really. He only had a small smile while he ate.

"I'm the luckiest one here, since I'm single." Rob declared in his coolest glory. Fortunately, I didn't choke this time.

"Mm, the hot chef over there could change that," Again with the ogling. _Stahp Richard._

-.-.-.-

My brain told me that I should go to bed, my body too, and my eyes seemed to agree as well. Wait, what was keeping me awake anyway?

Oh. The adrenaline.

It shot through my veins like an uncontrollable rocket. Because when I went to the upper floor to check out the view of the city, I saw Peter and Liz enter a bedroom together. And they haven't gone out since.

_Holy crap._

Were they sharing a room? _Well no shit sherlock_. But Peter's engaged! And thanks to my exceptional Googling skills, I knew that Liz was in a relationship too. They couldn't have been having a slumber party in there. I wonder if Richard was there too, or worse, Robert.

Still, I enjoyed the nightly air in the fifth floor's balcony. If I can, I'd sleep here. I pushed the weird thoughts out of my head and breathed in deeply. It wasn't any of my business anyway. I wish I had a night scene in the movie. The night was always kind to me. It was an escape.

I smiled solemnly, reminiscing nights like this when my mom used to read bedtime stories to me when I was younger. That was so long ago I can't even remember her voice anymore.

I stared down at the people walking on the streets, my mind wandering aimlessly. I wish she'd at least come to the premiere of the movie. Huh. I hadn't realized tears were forming in my eyes. I had become numb to my body's involuntary reactions. But it actually made it less painful.

_Superb acting skills_. My own words rang in my head. It was superb alright, I even made Peter believe what had happened to me and _again_ made him believe it was a joke. His reaction was pretty funny though.

"Ella?"

I abruptly turned at the voice and clutched at my chest. "Oh my god don't do that!"

Her reaction was pretty funny too."Oh! I'm sorry!"

I dramatically massaged my chest and murmured, "I'm… I'm fading away, please tell my manager to get a real job after I pass…"

"Shit," she muttered to herself, twisting her head to the side as if to check something. "I'd be charged with homicide. I'd better push you off this building to cover up what happened,"

Her eyes were frighteningly dark as she suddenly grasp both of my shoulders and pressed me against the balustrade. I squeaked apprehensively, "Stop! I was kidding!"

A sweet smile formed her lips and I was standing there terrified as hell.

My eyes were wide while I stared blankly at her. She let go of my shoulders and inched back, her expression victorious. I calmed myself down by reciting my scripted lines in my head.

"Wow," I murmured uneasily.

She smirked, and gathered her pretty red hair to one side. "See where pranking gets you?"

"How did you-"

"Let's just say Peter shared his experiences with you and told me to watch out for your 'Superb' acting skills,"

I braced and pushed myself from the balustrade, landing against her. She held my arms to steady me.

I was flustered and out of breath. "S-so you didn't actually wanted to k-kill me, right?"

She looked confused for a second then laughed. "Of course not! Was I that convincing?"

"Yeah! My heartbeat was so fast that it could power a computer, y'know!"

My face was flushed with heat and I could still feel the magnitude of my heartbeat in my chest. The damn building was so high from the ground for god's sake!

"I'm sorry Ella. Should I remind you that you're not the only actor here?" she playfully winked at me and I managed a smile. She was the first person to have seen through me. Well, with a little info of course.

"You got me," I sighed and pouted. I straightened myself and she let go of me.

"I figured," she said, still having the smile that reminded me of Peter's a while ago. Only this time, I didn't want to kick someone's crotch. "Don't worry, you did a good job. Anyway, it's late. Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"

"I can't. I had an adrenaline rush and now I'm having it again!" I cheered sardonically, leaning on the marble railing.

"Rush? Why'd you have it earlier?"

I opened but closed my mouth immediately. "No reason,"

She eyed me carefully. "Was it because of the carriage accident?"

"It wasn't my fault the horse preferred I didn't exist, y'know!"

"The horse's opinion doesn't matter. You did a great job playing young Esme, Ella,"

I grinned cheekily. "Thank you!" I felt so giddy that both Elizabeth Reaser and Peter Facinelli complimented me in one day.

She answered with another smile and leaned casually against the balustrade. I noticed how thin her nightgown was. I wonder what Peter was wearing… "I remembered when I was your age-"

"Oh!" I exclaimed, struck with a thought. "I forgot to ask you; what did you wanna be before you wanted to be an actress?"

Liz raised an eyebrow. "Do you always interview your co-actors?"

I grimaced as a strong wind hit us. "Not always,"

"Well Ella, when I was a child, I dreamed of starring in movies. Now here I am,"

I was in awe once more. She was the first person I asked to have wanted to be an actress from the start. Wow so many firsts.

"How about you? A certain someone told me that you wanted to be a policewoman?"

A groan rumbled from me. "Did he tell you…" _Please, please tell me he didn't tell her about my petty crush on someone_. "…everything?"

"I don't know. Why? Did you share to him your deepest darkest secrets?"

"N-no!" I stammered helplessly.

"I was just joking Ella," she chuckled, and I glared at her. "I thought you were the better actor here,"

"Of course not!"

"Okay, okay."

"Hmph,"

She smiled sweetly. My effort to stay annoyed was gone with the wind. When they said Elizabeth Reaser was charming, they weren't kidding.

"Who are your favorite actors?" she asked me.

"I worship Emma Stone and Jennifer Lawrence. I think they're both humble and amazing. There aren't many people who can be both,"

"And by the way," I added excitedly. "I watched Young Adult the other night, and I was… super stoked that I get to work with one of the actors days after. It was kind of mindblowing for me. But I survived. Anyway, you were awesome with the drums! Can you teach me how to do it? Please?"

At that she laughed. "Wasn't it obvious that I had no idea what I was doing? I'm have zero talent when it comes to any musical instrument."

"Really?" I said, then grinned. "See? That's why you're a good actor! The movie was kinda dramatically deep but I constantly get hungry whenever Ms Theron goes to Mcdonald's. But my manager was kind enough to buy me a meal after little to no nagging. The main character was crazy, and maybe that's why I liked her. But I hated it when she tried to kiss Mr Wilson even when she knew he was married and I…. I'm babbling again, aren't I?"

She smirked, and crossed her arms. "I don't mind. Go on."

"Right! Soo, what was it like to work with Patrick Wilson?"

"It was a great experience. He was amazing to work with,"

"You guys have spectacular chemistry in the movie! That's why I didn't like that Charlize's character was seducing your onscreen husband,"

"Peter?"

"What?" I was confused.

"You said she was seducing my onscreen husband,"

"Your ex-onscreen husband,"

"Is that a thing?"

"In my world it is,"

"You're a very interesting girl, Ella,"

"I've been told." I nodded surely.

"And a superb actor,"

I felt a blush creeping into my cheeks. "Uhuh,"

"A brilliant dancer too," Wait, she saw me practice in the hall? No one was there!

"Okay Liz, you can stop now!

"I'm sure…" she cleared her throat, her eyes gleaming. "a fine gentleman can't resist you,"

"Oh no," I groaned, my face covered with my palms. "Peter told you about Rob, didn't he?"

"What? What about him?"

I shut my mouth as soon as I realized. I'm really an idiot, aren't I?. "N-nothing"

"Oh. _Oh_,"

I laughed nervously. "So…"

She grinned like a freaking Cheshire cat. "So that's where your eyes stray to every now and then."

"I absolutely don't know what you're talking about." I admit that was kind of pathetic.

"I don't blame you at all. He is easy on the eyes."

"You can push me off this building right now,"

She grimaced, then was overcome with laughter. "It's normal Ella. And Peter didn't tell me anything about it. He isn't the one to tell secrets,"

"Even to you? I kinda have this impression that he told you everything."

"He doesn't take it as a joke when it comes to the matter of love,"

I suddenly have the urge to hug something fluffy."It's just a crush. Nothing more. I just figured he told yoy since you two are so close,"

She shrugged and flicked her eyes down, a small smile on her lips. "We are, aren't we?" she

My inner fangirl giggled recklessly. "You know, you two… used to be my OTP."

"OTP?"

I shyly glanced at her. "One true pairing,"

"Oh," she said. I think poker-face was the most accurate description I can make of her expression. I regretted voicing out immediately. I know I can be frank sometimes, but really?

"It was my friends' fault. They uh… sorta got me into it, y'know,"

At this, I was surprised that she smiled. "That's cute,"

"Well I don't think that anymore 'cause um… you're my co-actors and it's… weird, really. I just… I'm making things awkward, aren't I?"

"Now that you mentioned it…"

"Sorry," I grimaced.

"You're cute when you're embarrassed, "

I had this nagging feeling inside me that what I said affected her more than she appeared it did. I dragged my gaze across the night sky and saw a tiny star twinkling brighter among the rest.

"Seriously in Twilight, you two were unbearably cute onscreen. Like to hell with Bella and Edward," I added, watching her expression.

"Nikki told me that too, she…" she trailed off, her brows furrowing.

Did she mean Nikki Reed? The one who played Rosalie, right? "She what?"

"Never mind," Shaking her head, she turned to the sky and twirled a lock of her hair. "It doesn't matter anymore,"

"Y'know, I auditioned for Esme's role right after I heard about it. I didn't know that there was a making of this movie through my manager though. Do you know Danny Weisen?"

"Calvin's son? Gavin's nephew,"

"When Danny's dad got into an accident, I went with him to the hospital. We're friends, and he told me about you, 'cause I sorta asked him to. And here I am."

She nodded slowly. "It sure is a small world after all."

I mirrored her movement. "It's smaller when you're seventeen."

"Well I surely didn't expect to find two lovely ladies chatting in the balcony this late at night,"

I didn't even need to see who it was.

"I thought you already slept," Liz replied.

Peter sauntered towards us, his golden hair lovingly disheveled. He was in his T-shirt and shorts. It sure was an experience seeing these two wearing clothes so casually. "I kept waking up. I thought you packed your bags and left the country,"

"I couldn't possibly leave you here to deal with Maxwell alone, could I?" Liz replied, flirtatiously tilting her head to the side.

_Aaand Let the fangirling commence._ But not now, since the both of them had their eyes on me. It seemed that if I just stay silent and simply be a spectator, it'd be hella weird. I just gave my most convincing grin and said, "As if she'd let you leave,"

"It'll only take a…" he cleared his throat, and moved beside me, inclining against the row of balusters. "certain set of acting skills to convince her otherwise,"

"I've heard that someone we know possess those kind of skills," Liz went along with it.

"And who would that be, darling?"

I was contemplating between whether I should giggle or push both of them off the balcony. "Great. There's two of you are teasing me now."

"Want me to call Robert, then?"

-.-.-.-.-

_Hey brat_

Under the warm covers on my bed, I made a face at Danny's message.

_Yo dork, what's up?_

_Well shit I'm not the one who's filming a movie_

I snorted at his reply.

_The cast is great. The director kinda creeps me out_

_Pfft, you should try working with my uncle. He's cuckoo. Well, in a good way, but still a cuckoo_

_If he's half as crazy as Ms Maxwell, then you're related with him after all_

_Shut up twerp. does pattinson know you have a big ass poster of him in your room?_

_He doesn't need to know that genius. why are you up late?_

_reread message no. 2_

I rolled my eyes but couldn't keep myself from smiling.

_I witnessed a lot of weird things today_

_Like what? spill it_

_nah_

_damn it_

_you have a big mouth, I cant tell you anything_

_I know your period cycle but you cant even tell me this_

_Jesus christ are you bragging that to your friends_

_why the hell would i brag about that? you know, you should sleep now you dweeb_

_yeah we better stop talking about my period. ttyl_

_sweet dreams you klutz_

_have a bloody good dream you dork_

_wth ella_

I sneezed, and let out a restrained laugh. I felt a pleasant chill running down my spine. Why does he have to rub in it my face that I was working on a movie? Now I just felt giddy. Aaand I'm having an adrenaline rush again.

I think I may be a little late for shooting tomorrow.

-.-.-.-

Elizabeth POV

"Ella's quite a likable kid, isn't she?"

"She's seventeen, Peter." I remarked with a smirk. "She's barely a kid anymore,"

"She doesn't act seventeen-ish. I don't see her running around dating vampires,"

"So you're saying I'm seventeen now?" I teased, implying that I played a character that was married to a vampire.

"I knew your boyfriend was a vampire,"

"Oh hush," I cackled. _Well I guess I'm just too subtle at implying things_. I looked up as a plane flew way above us across the dark sky. "He told me something before I left," After we made amends. If you call that amends.

"Oh? Did he say to keep your blood warm for him?"

I quirked an eyebrow at him.

Chuckling, he put his hands up in defense. "Okay, okay," he conceded. "he probably hypnotized you already," he added lowly.

I rolled my eyes and looked up at the sky as a cold breeze passed by us. Maybe wearing this light of a clothing was a bad idea.

"So what'd he say?"

I cleared my throat for good measures and examined the one star that caught my eye. It twinkled almost mischievously. I was reminded of dad's signature wink.

"It wasn't much, but you know how cryptic Gavin likes to be," I wearily glanced at him. "He just told me after we both finished filming, I'd be hearing wedding bells."

At this, his eyes widened. "He's gonna propose to you,"

"Oh really? What made you think that?" I joked lamely.

"That's great, Liz." he said, cracking a kind smile.

The night's chill caught up to me and I shivered, crossing my arms together. I smiled back at him, kinda sorta dying inside.

"You know what this means?" he whispered. I winced.

"What?" I murmured, rubbing my neck to soothe the chills.

"He's gonna take you as his vampire bri-"

"Stop," I pressed a finger against his lips. I giggled carelessly as his surprised reaction. He pouted, and I, being a romantic fool I was, mistook it for a kiss.

I wore a sad smile and swiftly broke contact. I didn't want to completely die tonight, if that's what you're asking.

I tore my gaze away from him, exasperatedly searching for that twinkling star in the sky again.

"Don't forget me when you get married, okay?"

_This guy will be the death of me._ "Ditto,"

He would never know that I was desperately hoping I would.

* * *

_A/N: YEAH SO IT TURNS OUT A CERTAIN SOMEONE IS ENGAGED. But that's not any of my business. It surprised the hell outta me though, I was just playing the thought around and then suddenly a year later boom. Shi- I mean it happened. I hope the movie will turn out to be real too lel.  
_

_Leave a review and tell me what you think._

_Cheers,_

_DyM_


	28. Chapter 26

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_Sorry for the late late late update.  
_

* * *

**Chapter 26**

Peter POV

DAY 5

About three things I was absolutely positive:

First, the most awkward thing that had ever happened to me, transpired not longer than four minutes ago.

Secondly, I didn't know what I had been thinking when I briskly told Gavin Wiesen that Liz and I were sharing a bedroom when he telephoned, afterwards demanding for his girlfriend to call him back _immediately._

Third, I also didn't know why I was so determined not to share to any of my friends, family, acquaintances or anybody else for that matter, the fact that I was sharing what was supposed to be a private quarter with a woman my age who was not related to me at all. I mean, it was just for professional purposes. Why was I so inclined on keeping it as a dark secret? It wasn't like I was having an affair or something. The thought was far-fetching.

"Jesus Christ," Liz said when I told her about the phone call. It seemed like her thoughts weren't so far from mine.

"Yeah. You gave him our room's telephone number?"

"Would you believe me if I tell you I'd rather give it to my mom?"

I cleared my throat, and from the corner of my eye, saw Lydia's gaze fixed intently on the two of us. She was scowling, to be exact. She never really just eye people.

"Lydia seems to be calling for you," I whispered, amused.

"If she wants me, she'd have to voice it out," Liz whispered back. She seemed to be fed up by Lydia's failure in making everyone believe she wasn't in a shitty mood.

"Feisty eh?"

She looked up at me and gave me a sweet smile. A wavy strand of her reddish caramel colored hair fell from her shrill frills-wrapped bun. I say, she looked elegant wearing a dark blue Victorian dress with delicate lace and ribbon trimmings.

"Ms Reaser, Ms Maxwell is calling for you," Joan spoke in a tiny voice beside us.

"See? She can't even do it herself even though she has that damned megaphone she loves to use," she murmured to me.

"Go get 'em tiger," I encouraged her after we exchanged hearty chuckles.

She smiled again and proceeded to go towards the set of what appeared to be an old alley. Richard, dressed in a slick tuxedo, rejoined her and held out an arm.

"Ready Milady?" he said with a wink.

I'll only be half-surprised if my eyeballs suddenly fell out of its sockets because of how many times of eye-rolling I did today. But I won't be able to explain why without sounding rude.

Liz accepted his arm. "Don't overdo it, okay?" she teased.

_Yeah. Just don't._

"I can't help it darling, you know I…"

I was actually glad they were now far from my hearing range. I just think I don't want my eyes to leave its sockets any time soon.

"Places!"

Lydie did her thing, and sat back down with the look of satisfaction crossing her face. The crew did final adjustments with the lighting and cameras. One of them gave the signal, then the director called for action.

In character, the couple walked along the senescent alleyway. Richard's eyes drifted from left to right, scanning the area before pushing his companion against the old brick walls. Liz convulsed when the cameras neared them. Richard whispered in her ear and ran a hand across her thighs.

Shaking, Liz pleaded for him to stop, but it seemed to fuel the man even more. He ran a finger across her cherry lips and moved to bite them with his teeth. He roughly pushed against her and I finally was able to tear my eyes away from them. I internally cringed and strutted back to the direction of our room instead.

"Dude. He's really into this scene, isn't he?"

I resisted an urge to glare at Robert for stopping me at my tracks. "If this was a porno,"

He looked confused for a moment, but then his eyebrows shot up.

"Not a word, Pattinson," I pointed at him and sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I know what you're gonna say."

Shrugging, I can tell he was in control himself from laughter. "It's not his fault he's dripping with… appeal that women find sexy."

A familiar giggle erupted on set and we both turned to look.

Liz broke the kiss that she and Richard shared with another round of laughter. She only stopped to say, "It's him! He tickled me out of the cam's view!"

Richard had a smug grin on him. "It was a reminder not to enjoy the kiss too much."

The female director did not look pleased at all. "Show more resistance, Elizabeth,"

"Sorry," she grimaced, still locked in an embrace with Richard.

"I swear he's doing it on purpose," I observed, raising an eyebrow.

"If I was a woman in Liz's place, I don't think I'd mind,"

I turned to him, gaping. "What?"

He waved it off. "Forget what I said,"

"Action!" I heard Maxwell call through her megaphone.

I gave Rob a skeptical look. "I'm gonna go get chocolate from the snack bar. You want anything?"

"That's were I was the whole day," he smirked and put both his hands in each of his pockets. Going for that laid-back boyish vibe I never seemed to went through.

"Of course," I chuckled, shooting one last glance at the set, seeing Richard ravish the hell out of Liz. I felt sort of uneasiness creep into my stomach and resumed instead of walking away from the set.

-.-.-.-

I popped a piece of M&amp;M's into my mouth as I continued watching an old horror movie I had stumbled upon when I was browsing for entertainment. The channel it was in has tons of golden oldies.

I watched the scene with mild amusement where a funny-looking creature emerged from the ground, and at that same moment the phone on the nightstand rang. I slowly turned my head to stare at it, remembering what recently happened when I had answered a call with that phone.

Between the throaty growls the monster was making and the shrill ringing from the telephone, I heard the shower turn off in the bathroom. I really wanted to answer the phone, but I also wanted the last call that Liz's boyfriend and I had shared to be last exchange we would ever have.

My eyes shot to the caller ID. It was an unknown number like before. I don't remember whether or not it matched his number. I knew I should've written it down…

The ringing stopped, and as if on cue, Liz stepped out of the bathroom. There was a towel wrapped around her head in a way the only people with long hair know how to do. But to save us both from each of our partner's wrath, she was fully clothed in a chaste nightgown. Though, I wish she would wear something more… _unladylike_.

"Who was it?" she asked in an alarming tone.

"I don't know. I didn't answer."

She stood by the bathroom door while I was frozen place on my position on the bed, with my body slightly inclining towards the nightstand. I trailed my eyes to her again while she stared at the telephone with a look on her face which I say, would be very similar to my expression.

At the same time the oblivious woman from the TV screen screamed her lungs off, the phone rang again. Liz and I shared a nod as she sped towards my bedside and took the call.

"Hello?"

I was still on the same position with my eyes now casted down, slightly distracted at how pale and flawless both of her feet were.

"Um… who is this?"

I raised my eyes to her face, and saw her went paler than her feet ever were.

She faced me, covering the mouth piece and whispered, "It's Jaimie,"

I swore the woman screaming again in the TV mirrored my inner voice.

She handed me the phone while I almost fell from the bed. I held it against my ear. "Jaimie,"

"Why the hell is there a _woman_ in your room Peter?" the voice I knew too well screeched. The way she emphasized the word was enough to make me shiver. But I tried to remain calm and collected.

_Be like Dr Cullen._

_Be like Carlisle._

_Be like Dr Carlisle Cullen._

"Now Jaimie, that was just…"

"Now Peter, before you give me a lame excuse like the last time the woman who answered your room phone was _'just a maid_', I would just like to tell you that your 'get-out-jail' card just expired the moment you proposed to me."

_Carlisle, where the fuck are you._

"Honey, you know that the last time was true. You called her yourself to confirm my alibi, remember?" I told her smoothly. I noticed that Liz wasn't beside me anymore and turned to see her shuffle through her closet, giving me as much privacy as she can. I reminded myself to thank her later.

"She's a co-star," I began carefully. "and she waited for a call from her boyfriend with my phone, since hers is broken. She thought it was him when you called."

"Oh," I heard her say. I smiled but feel wretched from that half-lie.

"How are you, and why did you call?"

There was a moment of silence before she replied, "I just thought I'd tell you how excited I am for our wedding. And I'm feeling fine. I've just been with Jessica from her bachelorette party,"

"I take it there have been strippers?" I joked.

"Yeah, a couple of them actually,"

This time I choked. "What?"

A loud laugh erupted from the other line. "I'm just kidding, silly! I'm still in the party though. No strippers, just a lots of foreign champagne. You know how she is with her peculiar taste."

"If she has taste at all…" I trailed off, relieved she calmed down and that there were no strippers.

"You're always so mean to her!" she giggled, then settled down. "I'm really happy for the both of them. She and Matthew… I always thought that they were a great couple. And I couldn't help thinking about us when I see them, Peter. I miss you."

I smiled sadly and lowered my voice a bit. "I miss you too, love. I promised when the movie is finished, I'll get to you as soon as I can."

"Okay. I know you'd be great in whatever it is you guys are working on. Sorry for the outburst,"

I chuckled and leaned against the headboard. "It's fine. You had every right to be get suspicious,"

She hummed in agreement. I then heard distant music playing in the background. "Whoops, she's feeling the groove again. I'll talk to you soon, Peter. I love you. I can't wait to marry you."

"I love you too," I replied, ignoring the unpleasant feeling in the pit of my stomach. Why do I feel that lying to her is similar to cheating on her? It was just a little, insignificant lie and yet I felt the guilt streaming through my veins like fire. And it was _not_ a good feeling.

"Well now, someone is certainly giving out our telephone number," Liz mumbled, scrutinizing a piece of clothing she picked from her wardrobe. I didn't mind Jaimie calling, but I wish she'd just do that with our own phones.

I sighed and rubbed my temples. "I'm going to have a talk with this someone,"

"Gavin assumes that we're having a scandalous affair right now," she frowned, taking the towel off her hair.

"Sorry for that," I said, sitting up from the bed and rubbing my tired eyes. "I'm just too honest sometimes."

"It's fine. I never asked you to lie anyway. He's gonna have to deal with it. This is part of the contract,"

"We're two matured adults who've known each other for quite some time, how can people think otherwise?"

"Well that's not how other people see it," she sighed heavily, hanging the purple dress inside the cabinet. "Even Richard hinted that I should avoid…" she trailed off, her face blank.

"Avoid what?" I prompted uneasily. I knew that man was up to no good when he would invite Liz for 'privacy'.

She shook her head and made her way to the unoccupied bed. "It's nothing. That man can be so obnoxious sometimes,"

I transferred my gaze at the television. "You two grew close,"

"He's charming," she said, her voice filled with either adoration or disgust. The line separating them was blurry. "He knows his way around ladies, I can tell you that," she bit her lip before a small laugh spilled from her.

"Have you noticed that Rob has been distancing away from us?" I asked. "he wasn't like this during our past filming."

"He spends more time with the new members of the cast. Probably because we remind him too much of…"

"Yeah, that seems to be it," I didn't let her finish and we both knew she didn't have to. I took the pack of M&amp;M's from the nightstand, stretched my arm and offered it to her.

"I already brushed my teeth," she smirked. I raised an eyebrow, shaking my hand while still holding out the chocolate for her.

She rolled her eyes and snatched the pack out of my hand. "I don't appreciate you reading me too well,"

"It's a gift," I grinned and laid my head down the soft contours of the pillow.

"Ah, but Stephenie hadn't mentioned Dr Cullen having that kind of gift."

"I guess he's a mystery to me just as he is to Stephenie,"

"Mysterious Dr Cullen. Hot."

Smirking, I took the remote control and began surfing through the channels. "Suggest something,"

"Anything would be good,"

I stopped at a cooking channel when a knock came at the door. Liz and I exchanged glances as I stood and moved to open it.

"Hiiiiii," a soft but spunky voice uttered. It belonged to the only teenager in the building. Ella's youthful smile shone upon her face and I could only raise my eyebrows.

"Are you busy~?" she sang, sneaking a peek inside the room.

"Ella? What brings you here?" Liz asked.

"If you guys aren't busy, I was wondering if we could…" the girl trailed off, a tint of pink forming on her cheeks.

I smiled at her. "If we could…?"

"Well," she continued, twirling a lock of her long hair. "I know you guys have things to do tomorrow but…"

"Spit it out, Cinderella,"

Her eyes closed as she took a deep breath. "I'minvitingyouguystoplayScrabblewithme,"

"Pardon?" I teased.

"Scrabble y'know. Um… play it with me?"

I grinned, cocking my head to Liz.

"Why not?"

"I'm warning you guys," I told them. "I'm a killer in Scrabble."

-.-.-.-.-

"Fergulous is _not_ a word, Peter."

"Yes it is! I promise- I heard this guy say it on TV once,"

"I don't think fergulous is a word," Liz agreed with the teenager. I rolled my eyes and pointed at the letter tiles on the board.

"Oh sure but 'Yolo' is?" I threw a playful glare at Ella.

"It's a new word, y'know!" she cried.

"What's a new word?" a deep voice uttered behind me.

I chuckled, and looked at the person. _Robert and his entrances…_

"Oh hi Rob," Liz greeted happily and gestured at the board. "Scrabble. Join us?"

"I didn't know a fourth person can join," he observed the board, pulling a chair beside Ella and sat down. The poor girl was red and flustered.

"Replay?" I asked.

"Yes," Liz removed the tiles from her rack.

"These are some odd words," Rob commented with a grimace. "What's a fergulous?"

"See? It's not a word!" Ella giggled.

"You guys need to read the dictionary more," I huffed petulantly.

Rob parted his lips and raised an eyebrow at me. I shrugged and helped them scramble the tiles.

A moment later we began another round with maximum players. Rob managed to pick the tile with the highest number, making him first. Liz was second, followed by Ella and lastly me.

"Damn," Rob mumbled as I arranged the tiles in my rack. I got great letters so far.

I took a sip of the same blood-colored wine I brought for Liz the other night. I once again welcomed the liquid's sting in my throat.

"What are you guys drinking?" Rob inquired as he put down his tiles on the board. It formed the word 'Stroke'.

"Red wine. Peter brought it here. Try it," Liz offered her glass to him.

"It looks weird," Rob received the glass. He took a small sip before grimacing again." it tastes weird too,"

I laughed at his expression. I noticed Ella looking like a curios feline. "Drank any wine before?"

She crinkled her nose. "I did. It wasn't any good,"

I offered her my glass. "See if you could change that thought,"

One of her hands reached for my glass across the board while Liz put out her tiles. I glanced at the board. It formed the word 'Excited' from Rob's E. The X reached the double letter tile place.

"Nice,"

"No it isn't," Ella mirrored Rob's previous expression, mistaking my comment to direct towards the beverage.

"Seriously guys, you both have odd tastes," Rob returned Liz her glass.

"Or maybe both you and Ella don't fancy wines," I teased.

Ella threw me a pleading frown. I only smiled and gestured at the board.

She gazed almost nervously at the board, and then back at her tile rack. I saw Rob sneaking a glance at her tiles, a small smile playing on his lips. Okay, now I was curious.

"I'll pass," the girl announced a moment later.

"You don't have any word?"

"Well, I'm aiming for a higher tile place." she replied, rearranging her tiles.

"You got a word. Put it on the board." Rob insisted with a smile. She still refused to look at him. She only trailed her eyes back at the board.

"Nah,"

"Come on, Ella. It's not like you to pass," Liz urged.

"Fine," she sighed, taking some tiles and placed it on the board. It were K, S, O and two Cs.

Sluggishly, she dragged the S tile at the end of Rob's formed word and then formed the word above the S to make it plural. I almost choked at the result.

"You're next, Peter," Ella told me in a small voice.

The first one to have burst out in laughter was Rob. Really, I just thought it immature that he would find this even remotely funny.

"Dear god, look at the placing," he breathed in between fits of laughter.

Liz followed, pressing a hand to her mouth. I resisted following suit, and instead focused on my tiles. The tiles on the board called to me again, so I took another glance at it.

The fact that Rob and Liz were still giggling like little children pushed me to the edge as I let out a chuckle, followed by a hearty laugh.

"Um…" Ella coughed. "Okay guys, can we continue?"

My eyes widened as I found the perfect word to follow. "Holy cow,"

"What?" the teenager rasped exasperatedly.

"This is probably the weirdest game of Scrabble I've ever played," I told them, laying my tiles out front and putting it on the board.

Rob burst out laughing once more. "I can't. I just can't-"

"Amazing," Liz whispered as if she was having the greatest epiphany.

"Wait… wait. Let me," Rob can hardly speak as he continuously snickered. "Let me take a picture. Jackson needs to see this,"

Just then, we heard a loud clap outside. A second later everything went black.

"Shit," I murmured, taking initiative by grabbing my phone beside me and turning on the flashlight.

We waited for a short while, but the power remained as it was.

"I guess we'd have to end this right now," Liz spoke softly, standing up from her seat.

"Yeah…" I said, and flashed my phone at the board, a smile forming on my lips. "Let's just clean up tomorrow."

"Oh no," Ella groaned. "You guys don't happen to have any spare flashlights, do you?"

"Rob, can you escort Ella to her room?" Liz suggested, not bothering to take notice of the girl's rather comical expression.

"Sure," he replied, and turned to Ella. "Be careful of the stairs,"

"Yeah," Ella murmured, shooting us a look with a mixture of gratitude and menace.

"Too bad we won't be able to continue," Rob smirked as he moved to go down the stairs. "Thanks for the good laugh though,"

Ella followed suit. "Thank you," she told us, smiling a very happy smile.

After they were gone, Liz turned to me and said, "I love Scrabble."

The way I smiled probably let her know that I loved it too.

-.-.-.-.-

"This sure is taking too long," Liz mumbled, clumsily fumbling her hands in one of the drawers, even with the emergency light on. Once she found what she was looking for, she added, "I really don't work well in the dark,"

Apparently, a storm brewed outside whilst we were shooting earlier. It was light rain at first, then it stopped and came back with redemption. The cold seeped in the building instantly. The technicians contacted us, and said that they're working on the power as fast as they can.

"Are you gonna use the bathroom now?" I asked my roommate while looking for clothes I would wear for bed.

She looked up at me. "Oh. No no. You go first."

My mouth was pressed in a thin line, wondering why she appeared to be tensed and unrelaxed.

"Are you okay?"

Her back was facing me. I could only see her nod as she replied with a soft 'yes'.

I glanced at her one last time, carrying a gray T-shirt and shorts with me. "Okay. I'll just be in the bathroom."

Once inside, I turned on another emergency light. Entering the shower, I adjusted for the water to be of perfect temperature and let it run for awhile. I wondered why there wasn't a bathtub here. But then again, I always preferred showers anyway.

I stripped myself of my clothing and let the water finally hit me. I sighed with relief and watched tiny droplets cascading down from my chest to my stomach. I made a mental recap of today's events.

Lately, I noticed that Maxwell had soften up. It wasn't as if she changed in a course of five days, but hey, baby steps.

Jaimie called again, this time through her phone, and I was more than pleased. She told me about what went down that night of the bachelorette party, and all she said was, 'It was not clean.' and she need not to explain why. All I know is that I'm happy if she's happy.

Nikki made a surprise visit here. We had coffee which oddly enough, Liz declined to join us. To say I was puzzled would be an understatement. It wasn't like her to just decline an invitation to hang out with Nikki. And for coffee. Fortunately Rob joined us. It was a short but a very worthwhile moment. Nikki was upset that Liz 'still couldn't bring herself to talk' to her. I asked why and she told me that it was a girl thing and that I shouldn't butt in. I didn't say anything regarding that afterwards.

I squeezed some body wash and lathered them across and around my neck. I closed my eyes and for a brief moment, imagined Jaimie's delicate fingers touching me. I groaned softly, and stopped one of my hands from where it was heading. I know it hadn't been a very long time since I… got off. But it felt like centuries.

I shifted my thoughts and focused on something else entirely, and for some odd reason, it went directly to Richard. Talk about a turn-off. And no, I don't think he's a douchebag at all. That guy's decent. On the first day, that is. Wait cross that thought. He was decent before I met him.

He was a flirt, and I hate that Liz was indulging him on that. I really think I was the only one immune to his charms. Even the Prince of Entrance: Robert Pattinson friended him quite a lot.

I knew it was wrong to think of him like that, but I just did. And still do. And I couldn't help but think that I'm even embracing that feeling.

And the way he was touching Liz… It looked as though he wasn't even acting. Or maybe he was that good of an actor. Good for him. I both hated and loved this feeling of… of what exactly? Truth is, I didn't want to know.

I dismissed those thoughts and decided to step out of the shower now. My hands and fingers were starting to wrinkle.

After drying up and putting some clothes on, I stepped into the room. I then collided with a warm figure. I held her arms to steady us.

"Oh sorry," Liz squeaked. I was about to reply when my nose was flooded with sweet vanilla and honey. I swallowed, my head feeling a little dizzy.

"It's fine," I laughed uneasily, tapping my hands on her shoulders before stepping aside. "You smell great,"

"Hm?" Liz turned to me.

My eyes widened when I realized what I had just said._ Oh sweet merciful…_

As I was about to either repeat what I said or make up a lame alternative, the power went back on. I voiced out how great the fact was and the things I said beforehand were forgotten. I hope.

"Thank goodness," she murmured before entering the bathroom.

I sat on the bed and berated myself for saying whatever comes to my mind. I sighed and rolled my eyes. I can be so weird sometimes. Okay all the time. But it never killed anyone, right? I googled this and was satisfied with the answers, and realized what I just did was ridiculous, and decided to check on my Twitter before going to sleep.

A couple of scrolls and pictures of cute kittens later, I heard the shower turn off. Liz sure likes to bathe a lot.

"Peter?" she called out.

I tore my eyes away from my phone. "Yeah?"

"I brought the wrong set of… undergarments," she hesitated. "Can you get the right one for me?"

My hands felt tingly as I raised from the bed. "Sure,"

"It's on the upper left drawer. The blue set. It's packed."

I stood and walked towards the closet. I searched for the drawer then slid it open. I was hit by the vanilla scent again, and I even leaned forward to smell more of it.

_Hot damn_. My hands felt through the silky fabric of underwear. I thought they were all packed! Each of them was neatly piled in stacks but I had to flip them to get to the packed ones below them.

This felt so weird. Even I have yet to shuffle through Jaimie's underwear. And here I am shuffling through Liz's. And I see lace everywhere. _Well, lace does look good on her skin…_

I shook my head and cursed under my breath. No mental pictures please. I'm engaged for god's sake.

"Which kind of blue? There are four kinds here," I have never been so confused of women's clothing.

"Oh right. Damn… thanks, I'll get it,"

_In nothing but her towel_? "No! No. I'll bring them all to you."

This is why a non-related man and woman should never share a room together.

"Oh? Don't worry I won't come out naked," I could hear the grimace in her voice laced with… shame?

I almost choked. My eyes shot towards the bathroom door. That was _not_ what I meant.

"No Liz. It's just…"_ Oh good lord. How do I tell her this?_ "Y-you're a woman,"

"Who would've thought." she laughed humorlessly.

I admit that was kind of a lame way to say it. "I just didn't want you to feel uncomfortable, with me being here and all,"

There was a deafening silence. I can't believe things escalated this quickly. One minute I was reading an article about the a cat that dances and the next, standing here, confused and awkward.

"You're right. I'm sorry, Peter,"

"Yeah," I unconsciously rubbed the back of my neck. "So you're getting it?"

"Yes," she replied.

"I'll just step out of the room for a moment. So I could give you privacy,"

"Thanks,"

"Okay,"

I think I only started to breathe normally after I took a step out of the room. Sighing, I leaned against the door and closed my eyes. What was Maxwell thinking, putting the both of us the same room? As days go by, I find it hard to believe that Satan wouldn't scream like a little girl if he ever sees her.

I know I'm a faithful man, but I'm sleeping in a room with a woman I have secretly lusted upon in the last couple of years. It was a passing thought but I couldn't help my eyes straying to her every now and then, especially when she does something… _lasciviously sexy_. God… I remember all those random dances she does on set. And the first and only time I heard a moan coming out of her lips. It was one of those many prominent memories I had when we were filming Twilight.

She was so different from everyone else, and I was always interested to what she has to say. But I dismissed that thought long ago. Or so I thought. I've never considered having an affair, so I stopped seeing her as a desirable woman, and started seeing her as a good friend. But that didn't mean I stopped fantasizing. Although I tried to avoid going into _that_ path. Saying that's because I'm simply a man is no excuse. I have experienced that with other women as well, but it was never as frustrating and long-term as this. My heart had always belonged to Jennie, and now it was Jaimie's. It was mere lust. I'll get over it.

I actually shared what I had thought with the guys back when we were filming Twilight, probably because I was in a drunken stupor. They told me that they were experiencing too, with each of their onscreen partners. Especially Robert. Kellan had it the lightest. He told us Nikki was positively gorgeous, but she treated him as a pal, so he automatically treated her one too.

See, that was the problem. Elizabeth treats me like a pal so much, she even let me rummage through her underwear!

To where I was leaning against, I felt the doorknob turn. I shifted my weight to the soles of my feet as the door opened.

"Sorry for the wait," Liz said, now dressed in a lavender nightgown, which thankfully hid all those curves I've been having a mental picture about a few minutes ago.

"It's not a problem," I mentally sighed. _There was I again…_

"And look Peter, I'm sorry about before,"

"You don't need to apologize about anything, Liz. I understand," I entered the room and sat on my bed, facing her. "I just wish we weren't in the same room. I know it's for professional reasons, but you're clearly a woman and I'm a man and it's just-"

"Frustrating. I know the feeling." she sighed, and then smiled. "I mean, I have never dressed so conservatively before,"

_Conservatively?_ I narrowed my eyes at the particularly dark spot at the corner of the room. "Well, I suppose,"

"Okay... I'll just sleep now."

"Me too. This sure was an eventful day,"_ That's it, Peter. Smooth transition._

"Hm. We need to figure out who's been giving out our private telephone number. I feel very uncomfortable that it's just out there. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if one of my exes called here,"

"Yeah, it's unsettling."

We were quiet for a while. I told her if it was okay to turn off the lights, to which she nodded in agreement. We then turned on each of our lamps. I returned to my bed and gently lied down, closing my eyes. I was glad that the heater was running again. I hated the cold. I looked outside the window and found out that the rain had finally stopped. I glanced at Elizabeth and saw her leaning against the headboard on her bed, reading a book. I trailed a hand over my stomach.

"I should work out." I mumbled out loud.

"Why? You look fine," she said. I glanced at her again. She looked pretty concentrated on the book thus far.

"Yeah but," I continued uneasily, staring at the rose colored ceiling. "I've kinda been lazing out and felt like I eat too much," I trailed my hand over my stomach again.

"Well, we do have exercise sessions every weekend, so we'd look toner for the honeymoon scene,"

"I should do that on weekdays too,"

"You'd exhaust yourself. You wanna go on a Taylor Lautner diet?"

I cringed. "No,"

The fact that I would eat all greens and exercise vigorously for two hours a day made me wanna go to the snack bar and hug the lady managing it.

However, she responded with a laugh. "I don't know how he did it,"

"Well it was definitely worth it. Just ask his fangirls,"

"You can't blame them. Washboard abs have those kind of effects to women," she said. "And men,"

I cleared my throat and grabbed at the corner ends of my shirt, having the weirdest urge to pull it up. "Those in exchange for Reese's Peanut Buttercups…"

"And bacon," she added. Unhelpfully.

A sigh came out of my lips. "But you'd just long for that feeling of being…" I trailed off, pressing my left cheek on the soft pillow, turning away from her.

"Being what?"

_Damn, I was cornered_. "Being desired," I continued in a lower voice.

"You're still being desired."

I shot my eyes to her. Her lips were trapped between her teeth. I wish she'd stop doing that. A bruise would form there...

"By your girlfriend," she added. Much to my dismay. For a moment, a sick part of me wished she meant that _she_ desired me.

"Exception to my significant other of course," I continued, seemingly unaffected. "But then again, it won't matter as long as this person still wants you as much."

"Well, if you really want to. Think of wanting to work out for her. To look better for her. To sacrifice bacon for her."

I breathed against the warm scent the pillow emits and closed my eyes. Once again, she was able to knock some sense into me without even trying. "Alright,"

"Unless if you think it won't mind her at all. Why not indulge yourself?"

I almost grinned. "Yeah,"

"Love's weird," she murmured.

"It is," I whispered, slowly drifting off and blindly reaching for the lamp's switch. The last thing I heard her say to me was, 'Goodnight', to which I drowsily replied back the same thing.

-.-.-.-.-

DAY 6

_"Peter, is something the matter?"_

_I blinked and shook my head. "No. Just wondering why llamas exist,"_

_Carlisle took a phone out of his pocket. "I'll ask my wife,"_

_"Your lover?"_

_"Yes,"_

_"The one who drinks blood with you?"_

_"Yes,"_

_"Let me guess. Her name starts with an E,"_

_"It does,"_

_"Do you love her?"_

_He smiled a little and looked up from the phone. "I could ask you the same thing."_

As soon the sunlight hit my face, I squinted and dug my head under the pillows. I peeked open an eye, and was greeted by the sight of a woman reading a book on the other bed. The image was similar with what I saw last night, but it had been dark out. This time, the sun slapped darkness in the face and gave it a blinding middle finger.

"Did you even sleep?" I said, with the pillow muffling my voice.

"Well good morning to you too, sunshine,"

I chuckled and stretched my muscles. "Mornin',"

Yawning, I glanced at the clock. It was quarter to seven.

"Coffee haven't come up here yet?"

"Not yet. I already gave them a ring though,"

I checked my phone for messages, and saw one of them from Jaimie last night. It read, 'Goodnight love, sweet dreams'. Feeling bad that I wasn't able to reply last night, I compensated by texting back, 'Good morning my sweet. Have a nice day'.

Faded images bombarded my mind. Wait, what the hell did I dream about? It was all so vague, I couldn't remember a thing. Something about alpacas? I cleared my dry throat. I pretty much prefer coffee to sate my thirst today.

I rolled from the bed and miraculously did not fall and hence only sat up. I made a beeline to the bathroom and faced the mirror. I clearly enjoyed the sleep last night, and my hair couldn't be messier. And blonder. I washed up and gargled, then went out of the room, impatient and restless. I didn't expect those two to blend together this early in the morning.

What I came across was not what I expected too, apparently. There was Maxwell's assistant, holding a tray consisting of two cups of steaming beverage, and a couple of pastries. Her expression was sort of unreadable, or maybe it was my brain still processing morning.

Her eyes finally tore away from the Scrabble board we played on last night. "Good morning, Mr Facinelli," she told me, her eyes blinking rapidly.

"Good morning to you too, Joan," I nodded, and gestured at the tray on her hands. "Let me be the one to carry that,"

"Oh!" she squeaked, looking down at the tray. "I'm so sorry for delaying your breakfast. Fred was supposed to deliver this earlier, but he was on an emergency leave," she looked distressed, and muttered to, herself. "Oh, that's not a valid reason. I should've-"

"Joan," I uttered slowly. "It's fine. I'm sure Liz doesn't mind, and I can assure you that I don't,"

"I'm just… so sorry, sir," she sputtered out, handing me the tray.

I took it from her shaky hands and smiled gently at her. "Joan, this isn't that big of a deal. You'll stress yourself out thinking of this too much. Why don't you clear your head for awhile."

Before I turned around, I gave her a wink and added, "I know that she can be a handful sometimes but… she's putting her trust on you, and I'm pretty sure that's quite of a big how-did-she-do-that thing,"

Her cheeks appeared pinkish as she nodded briskly. "Thank you so much for your patience!"

I smiled and sauntered back to the room, until her small voice spoke again, "And sir?"

"Yes?"

"Will you not be continuing this?" she gestured at the table full of our junk from last night. I nodded once and chuckled as she stared at the board again. Probably wondering how we played the words 'Strokes', 'Excited', 'Cocks', 'Violently' while keeping a straight face last night, and left the board for anyone else to see. She probably thought it wasn't a serious game.

-.-.-.-.-

They say ignorance is a bliss. I say they're damn right.

"She has a boyfriend, right?"

"Yeah," I answered, keeping my eyes on Liz. She was doing a hospital scene where Esme just found out she was pregnant. This was her sixth take on her reaction. I guess Maxwell was having a rather difficult time capturing the perfect atmosphere she had envisioned.

"Is it serious?"

I turned to stare incredulously at the man beside me, flabbergasted.

He smirked. "Well?"

"Why don't you ask her that?" I restrained the anger from plaguing my voice.

"Now that would be rude,"

"Oh really?" I raised an eyebrow.

Richard's dark, provocative eyes trailed to her. "She's a wonderful woman,"

I followed his gaze and marveled the way Liz displayed genuine happiness when the doctor told her she was pregnant. It was as if she was happy for Esme herself. And it made me smile in spite of my current mood.

"She is," I murmured.

He sighed, as if he was dealing with the hardest problem in the world. "Too bad she's taken,"

For a million times I've disagreed with him, this was the time I did the opposite. Not with the same intentions as his, but I just wish she was with someone… different. Because for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to believe that she's entirely happy being with Gavin. From the tone he uses when he mentions Liz, to when she got lost in the neighborhood because she 'needed to get away from things'. I didn't think he was good enough for her then.

I said nothing. Maxwell was finally contented with the scene as she called cut, and with the look of renewed determination on her face, decided to move on to another.

"So, you two share a room," he stated. It wasn't a question.

I suppressed a groan and instead gave him my most nonchalant way of saying yes.

"Well?"

I stared at the floor. "Well what?"

"Seen anything good?"

Ever since that day, I stopped trying to make friends with the one man I hadn't made any effort disliking.

-.-.-.-.-

"I'm beat," Liz whined as she practically threw herself on the bed.

"And we only just begun," I added. Unhelpfully.

"Maxwell is killing me. That one particular scene where Richard had to grab my ass took twenty six takes alone,"

"She's sure is a perfectionist," I agreed, and grimly thought that Richard wouldn't have minded that many takes if it meant he could grab her-

"That's the understatement of the century. I get that she's doing this for the good of the movie but damn…"

She got up from the bed and headed straight outside. "I need wine. You coming?

"Don't mind if I do," I said, following her outside.

-.-.-.-

"Remind me to drink a lot of this before one of our kissing scenes," she told me. I didn't know if she was being serious or not.

"I'd like that," I replied without thinking. That idea seemed irresistible.

She then threw her head back and laughed. I guffawed along with her. The night was young and I preferred spending it with wine and laughter rather than thoughts of some people I don't even want to mention right now.

"You know, I think-" she hiccuped. It was cute. "I think the chef has a crush on you,"

"Why do you think that?"

"Well, she winked at you when she served you that beef tenderloin yesterday,"

"You do know she winked at Rob, not me right?" I chuckled at her expression.

"I swore she," _hic_ "winked at you, and you," _hic_ "winked back,"

I refilled my glass. "Nah. But do you know who got the hots for _you_?"

"Lemme guess," she slurred, tapping her chin. "It's Maxwell,"

"What?" I laughed and shook my head. "Fortunately not,"

"Well then, spill it!" she hit my shoulder. "So let me just assume he's a guy. Is he hot?"

"I can't tell, since I'm a guy too…"

"Is he you?" she joked.

I avoided her eyes and smiled. "Why Ms Reaser, I believe you had ulterior motives for bringing me here in the balcony with you tonight?"

She snorted. "So it's not you. Bummer."

"Bummer," I repeated. "You'll find out soon enough,"

"Aw, how could you not tell me after I showed you how curious I was?"

"By whining?"

She rolled her eyes. "It was more like a convincing persuasion,"

"You mean whining."

"Whatever. It's not like I care," she muttered.

I licked my lips and grinned, enjoying the nightly breeze that hit my face. The balcony really was the best part of this building.

"Who is it?" she poked me with her elbow.

"I thought you didn't care,"

"Eh, I don't. I just think that it won't matter who it is,"

"Wine has a weird effect on a person's logic,"

"That's the best part about it," she giggled, emptying another glass. "It's good to abandon something you usually and desperately hold unto for awhile,"

"Well, I'm still not telling,"

"You suck," she glared at me.

"And you swallow," I countered smugly.

"And you spit!"

I widened my eyes at her, and threw my hands in the air, almost knocking off a flower vase. "Fuck logic!"

"I can't! I'm too busy swallowing it!"

Three hundred and sixty more days of this. Amazing.

* * *

_A/N: And that concludes the chapter I've worked so long for. I can't wait for the next update which would take another damn month. *sarcasm* Again, sorry I upload so slowly. Thanks for reading. Don't forget to review!_

_Cheers,_

_DyM_


	29. Chapter 27

**366 days NOT to fall in love with him**

**By: Distressed Mistress**

_Hey y'all. Again, I apologize for the god-awfully long wait. _

_The belowmentioned titles aren't mine. And a big, big thanks to the lovely Mackenzie L. I can't say what for since I don't wanna spoil anything._

_Enjoy._

* * *

**Chapter 27**

Liz POV

DAY 6

I trailed my fingers across the book's paperbound cover, distraught at my most recent reaction. I cringed, like I did at every waking moment it would cross my mind; even if I was compelled to concentrate on the contents of this book.

I'd leaned towards the married protagonist playing around with the thought of pursuing a secret affair with her guy friend inasmuch as it might 'reignite her passion', solely because I was getting tired of her blunt indecisiveness shown in fifty pages. I knew her passion was intact; she just needed to get off. I was ashamed to suppose that this might have triggered the memory.

Chuckling at myself, I felt ridiculous; treating the memory like it had happened so long ago and whatnot, where in fact it had just occurred this morning.

I succumbed to my restless mind once more.

"For a man of your stature, you are being very—_ugh_! I've told you this before. It's nothing personal," I clarified as calmly as I could. "It's just showbusiness, and you of all people should know that."

A rude laugh erupted on the other line. "Oh. You meant _actual_ business," my left eye twitched at his abrasive sarcasm. "For all the damned years I've spent in school, I have yet to learn that business involves you and _him_—a very capable man by the way, share a bedroom; a place where a woman and a man usually fornicate in. That's actually what I had no knowledge about nor any expectations of."

"Do you even realize how unprofessional you sound right now?" I hissed.

"Oh, so this relationship's a business too?"

"Of course not. Good heavens, what does it take for you to believe that I won't stray?" I sighed.

"I don't know. I'm intuiting that this whole relationship will end up akin to Brad and Jen's. I'm even too afraid to bet against it."

Air rushed out my lungs in rapid, angry breaths. "I will _never_—"

"What if you need it?" his voice broke.

I hissed through clenched teeth, "No."

"Damn, woman—of course you do! That's my job; I sate that need, or at the very least try to. You told me so. But I'm not there with you now, Liz." his gruff voice raised a little.

He went on, "However, there's always that man whose name goes beyond to por—"

"Stop," I jeered. "Don't."

"I've seen movies he's starred in. In most of those movies if not all, his ass had been bare in front of the camera!"

"Oh my god! What does that have to do with anything?" I choked, my hand tightening its grip on the phone. "Wait don't answer that. This is really getting getting ridiculous, and I'm tired of hearing you say the same thing over and over again," I sighed exasperatedly. "I hate your doubts; they're killing whatever this is that we have."

He sighed in the same manner. "I'm sorry, Liz. You know that I don't enjoy having this argument with you. I'm just concerned . . ."

I caught my lower lip between my teeth, struggling to hold in my frustration.

"I mean, who knows?" he chuckled, devoid of humor. "Maybe then I'll have someone inform me that you and him had already eloped somewhere in the Bahamas."

"I would never cheat on you," I affirmed. "I can be anything, but being unfaithful is at the very last on my list."

"Liz, it's not you," he drew a deep breath. "well, it was never only you. If and when you become vulnerable, he'll . . ." he trailed off.

I soothed my bottom lip and replied, "He's not like that."

"He's just a man," he murmured darkly.

"Well, _that_ man is getting married after our filming," I informed him. I did a terrible job at keeping it sound like a key information rather than bad news. I closed my eyes and heaved a tired sigh. "and he's very much in love with his fiancée."

"Lust can blind a man," he persisted.

"You're a man. Are you implying something?" I shot back dryly.

"You know I wouldn't."

"Then you need to trust me," I pleaded gently. "I don't need you to worry about me, Gavin. I've done this a million times, and I admit that I've been tempted a lot but not giving into those temptations is a credit I still owe myself for."

There was silence before—"Of course," he muttered, as if he had already realized his shortcoming . "Of course," he repeated in a much clearer voice. "I should have believed that from the start. It could've saved us a lot of trouble," he conceded, much to my surprise. "I'm sorry for interrupting. I know you're pretty busy as well."

My lips twitched. "Well, movies don't make themselves."

"We'd both be out of jobs if they do." he chuckled, attempting to lighten things up. He must've thought it was ineffective when he cleared his throat. "Listen, if he ever—"

"He won't," I interjected.

"_If_ he will," he said resolutely. "you have to decline, even if it's casual. It never stays that way. It's not like you're never going to see each other again."

His voice deepened as he continued, "No matter how difficult it might be to resist his offers, no matter how much your body might crave for utter satisfaction, no matter how much you may have desired him in the past . . ."

A small gasp broke free from my lips.

". . . I need you to say no. For me."

"I promise," I replied unthinkingly.

I envisioned him wearing a sad smile that would always make me want to kiss it away.

"Take care now. I know you'll do great in the movie. As a director, I can say that you are one of the best actresses I ever had the honor to work with," he said sincerely, "and as your lover, I can say that you are an incredibly amazing woman with an unfathomable amount of love and patience. I still don't know how I ever got you to answer to me."

I felt betrayed by the warm tear tickling down my cheek. "I love you, and good luck on your movie. I know I haven't been very supportive of you lately, only because I know that you've never need any much of it. And I know I don't deserve you."

"No; quite the contrary, I'm working very hard to be the man deserving of you, fair lady."

I giggled helplessly. "Oh you."

"I'm baffled at how great our talks are when we do it through the phone."

"It's because you keep kissing me when we talk face-to-face, silly," I teased.

"Fair point," he chuckled. I then heard a muffled voice on the other line that I couldn't possibly make out of. "Sorry honey, I need to go now. The actors just arrived. See you."

"Bye."

He hanged up as soon as I replied, and I let out a sigh of relief. That went unexpectedly well. I felt the tremendous weight lift off my shoulders, even though I wasn't a hundred percent sure that Gavin trusted me like he'd claimed he did. I wondered what else he and Peter talked about in the phone.

Being a masochistic woman I was, I recalled the previous phone call I'd had. Jaimie Alexander's achingly lovely voice echoed in my head.

'_Who is this_?' she had demanded icily.

The matter in which she had inflected the first word added a million more questions. _Who do you think you are? Who gave you the right to answer his phone? Who are you in his life?_

Or maybe it was just me, but the truth was; I didn't know what to answer.

All the more reason to distance myself from Peter. Mainly because it was becoming exponentially difficult doing so.

However, the small fact that Peter half-lied to his fiancée through the phone sparked feelings in me that I couldn't possibly bring myself to ignore. Although the soft, mellow tone of his voice when he'd talked to her sounded so loving and brimming of promises. I recalled a bitter memory of myself clenching the purple dress I'd been holding to my chest while I shamelessly listened to his low whispers to the phone. It infuriated me—this strong, strange and familiar feeling. It was as if I envied the way he'd talked to her. I wished for him to communicate with me in that sense too. Only then I'd feel . . .

"I smell something burning . . ." a deep male voice uttered from behind me.

Roughly yanked down from my reverie, my mind took time to process a witty reply.

"That would be my cooking," I blurted out, and glanced at the voice's owner. Tiny dimples peeked from the corners of his lips when he smirked.

". . . and delicious. You didn't let me finish." he accused.

Unfazed, I went back to mixing the cream sauce for my dish. "You're still a terrible liar."

I checked the pasta noodles from the pot of boiling water, and then began to grate the cheese, partly aware of Peter's footsteps coming at me from behind. Not long after, he appeared beside me, curiously scanning the counters full of organized clutter.

"I'm making Carbonara," I said, "I feel bad that you were always the one cooking for us back then."

"I loved cooking for you guys."

_Of course he did_. "I only got enough for two. I hope you don't mind me telling the others we won't be dining with them tonight."

"It's fine," he replied, walking over to the counter to my right. "Love . . ." he murmured a moment later.

My eyes immediately shot to his. "Hm?"

I irrationally grieved for his gaze wasn't on me when it softened. My attention however, shifted to his hands when I saw him tentatively pinch a piece of the fragrant leaf between his fingers.

"In Italy, basil is a symbol of love," he spoke lowly. "but of course, you'd already know that."

A wave of unpleasant heat gathered recklessly around my neck as I endeavored nonchalance. "I just thought the dish would look fancy with it."

"It already looks fancy from here," he said, his eyes gleaming at me.

A small smile conquered my lips. "Why thank you, monsieur."

Our gazes locked, and something stirred in the air. It electrified my entire being, and it demanded my attention.

Palpable. Unmistakable. Powerful.

_Could it be . . ._

I sniffed again.

No, wait. _Wait. S_omething _was_ burning! Frantic, I swept my gaze across the kitchen, searching for its source. _Shit_! I sprinted to the front of the oven and bent down, only to have found out that the mini cake I was baking did not look like what it was supposed to look like. I had to seriously stop daydreaming in the kitchen.

I hastily turned off the oven, mourning for the burnt cake.

Peter's nearing footsteps were cautious behind me. "Um Liz, is it . . .?"

"Your aversion towards kitchen appliances seemed to have rubbed off on me," I feigned chagrin.

He chuckled. "Sorry I can be a bit of a bad influence sometimes."

"I'm only teasing you," I assured him gently, rising up to my feet with my shoulders sagging in defeat.

"Well at least we discovered I have an amazing sense of smell."

A smile crept into my face. I'd have leave this to the cleaners. Opening the oven door would shroud the kitchen in black smoke, and set off the sprinkler system. I reminded myself to apologize for the mess later.

"Maybe you are a vampire," I remarked.

"Perhaps . . ." he grinned blithely. "but I think I'd rather eat your dish first before I decide on whether or not to spend the rest of eternity drinking blood. Let me pour the sauce in the plates?"

I nodded, moving to focus on my main dish. I inspected the pasta noodles again to see if it had already soften up to my liking. Peter took the bowl of sauce and poured the content in each of the plates. I admired his broad shoulders that accentuated his well-developed biceps before mentally kicking myself and irately resumed to grate more cheese.

_I wasn't even trying, was I_? The little angel on one of my shoulders must have been shaking her head. Or got caught in heaven traffic. The sneaky devil on my left gave me a reason; that this was harder than I had ever expected.

"You ordered pizza?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes," I replied, sparing a quick glance at the box of hot pepperoni pizza lying atop of the counter to my left. "I hope you don't mind."

"Not in the slightest. I do miss eating it. Fancy food's beginning to numb my taste buds."

"Don't ever let Estelle hear you say that," I teased. "The poor dear would be crestfallen."

"The chef that has a crush on me?" he wore a rather smug smile.

I eyed reproachfully at him. "So you admit you're the one she often stares at."

"Who can blame her?"

He sent me an impish smirk and I thought, _who can_?

"So that's why the dishes she cooks get sweeter by the day," I articulated, my voice a little higher than usual.

"We'll be diagnosed with hyperglycemia by the end of the filming."

I suppressed a giggle but failed. "Good thing I burnt the cake then. We won't ever get to indulge our sweet tooth if I get to cook for the two of us from now on. I'll unintentionally burn all the desserts, anyway."

"Even the ones that doesn't need to be cooked in the oven?" he chuckled, but stopped when I sent him a you-know-what-I-mean look. "But that's actually a great idea." he flashed me another grin.

"Don't plant any ideas inside my head again, Fach," I warned him with a smile that contradicted my tone. _We both know what happened last time_, I wanted to add.

"That was the plan," a deep chuckle fled from his lips. "and don't worry, I've been known to have a green thumb."

I switched off the electric stove off and walked near him to get the pair of tongs from where it was hanging. Feeling a wee feisty, I gave his hips a gentle nudge with mine. "You cruel, cruel man." I whispered, fully aware that I may have exacerbated the situation.

"Oh, this is me being cruel?" he challenged.

"Yeah that's about it." I waved the iron tongs dismissively at him as I intended to go back near the stove.

"Alright then."

Before I could even suspect his motive, his hands reached around my waist and tickled my sides.

"No, don't—Stop!" I laughed, immediately running out of breath as his mischievous fingers prodded my tummy with torturing tickles.

"Does my cruelness exceed your expectations?" his vanilla voice caressed my ears as I felt his warm breath tease the nape of my neck.

_Damn me for telling him I was ticklish._

"Err... Bad time?"

All movements halted to a stop as we both peered over the bowl full of fruits on the counter, spotting the sheepish teenager standing crookedly near the staircase.

If Rob had been dubbed as the Prince of Entrance . . .

"Sorry for interrupting. I didn't know that. . ." she began and trailed off uneasily, her fingers toying with the hem of her blouse.

Peter's hands slid away from my waist, leaving behind a trail of blazing heat from underneath the thin cloth. Flustered, I inched away from him in a safe distance and casually asked Ella, "It's nothing important," _Lies_. "what is it?"

She lowered her eyes and gazed back to our faces again. I had never seen her this embarassed ever since we played Scrabble. "I just wanted to tell you that Ms Maxwell is requesting for you two down in the meeting room after dinner," Ella announced a bit begrudgingly. "Joan was supposed to be the one to ring you, but I thought that I could do it personally, y'know?"

"Thank you for telling us that, Ella. We'll be down in a bit." my male co-star answered for me.

Relief flooded my senses when Ella flashed us a big smile. "Great! I'm sure Ms Maxwell and the others could wait a little longer. Just take your time, y'know. Continue whatever it is you're doing. Just pretend I didn't come here or anything. See you later!" At that, the petite teenager scampered downstairs. I swore I heard her giggle. I could have died from embarrassment.

"Well there's that." Peter noted, deadpan.

I turned abruptly to him. He flicked his eyes to me and unabashedly did something that rendered me speechless.

He winked at me.

If there was someone to blame, it'd be him.

* * *

"That was delicious by the way," Peter commented with a kind smile as we descended by the stairs.

"Thanks," I murmured recessively, recalling the fateful day I had described him as 'delicious'. I was still figuring out what he could have thought of that—what Jennie Garth had thought upon seeing the interview, which I had to assume she did. Or I could just ask him that. Except that would be impressively awkward. _Oh what a day for unpleasant memories._

Momentarily mortified, I only half-noticed the spacious corridor we were walking through was unusually quiet. I expected seeing Luke or Will or anyone from the lighting crew. This part of the third floor was their gathering area of some sort.

Things had obviously quieted down tonight. I wondered why while walking in a sluggish pace besides my co-star.

"It's odd for Maxwell to call for us tonight. Last time I checked, she was a morning person," he mused. "If you were to guess of the reason . . ."

I pursed my lips, and cast my eyes upon the silver-coated ceiling. "What with all the headache she seemed to be having, perhaps she's retiring early?"

"Really?" It was less of a question.

"No," I sighed. "I should hope not. You?"

"Maybe one of the Twilight cast member's here for a scene."

"That'd be nice," I beamed, recalling each of their familiar faces. Although deep inside the most irrational part of my brain told me that a certain someone was an exception.

I felt my feet becoming heavy, dragging me onward as I distracted myself with pictures hanging on the beautifully patterned walls. I passed by each of them, admiring some of the old posters and new artwork. My eyes caught a faint reflection of myself in one of the glass frames. The fluorescent light from the ceiling played with my vision as the reflection shifted to a familiar woman my mind was determined of steering away from. Her eyes were nothing but apprehensive.

Despite my pathetic attempts to shake her off me, I remembered her dark, apologetic eyes as I spared her an infinitesimal glance at the Café on the ground floor. I was aware of Peter's confusion as to why I had rejected his invitation for coffee with her, and I didn't plan on enlightening him any time soon.

"Liz."

The inevitable shame struck me like lightning. I smiled tightly and realized we had finally set foot outside the meeting room. Peter and I exchanged glances as he reached out for the knob and turned it slowly.

As soon as the door opened, several pairs of eyes fell upon us. The whole cast members were in the office, sitting rather comfortably on the beige sofas while Lydia was perched on her black leather office chair as usual.

"Good evening," Peter and I chorused.

"A pleasant evening to you as well," Lydia greeted us in her silky voice. "please sit,"

When Peter and I sat ourselves snugly in between Ella and Rob, Maxwell wasted no time beginning.

"Pardon for the abrupt meeting, everyone. I've called you in tonight because I have very _important_ news to share. And yes, it can't wait in the morning."

I saw Rob quickly shut his mouth as soon as he opened it. I chuckled quietly and let my eyes wander to each of their faces. Their interests seemed to have heightened at Maxwell's emphasis on the word 'important'.

The director's red-coated lips opened. "Pardon me again for the unintended pun," she cleared her throat. "but the script has been revamped."

Silence enveloped the room. My ears caught a little snicker from my right, and for a moment, I thought everyone else had already known of this news except me. Of course the fact wasn't at all surprising. In between shooting, if it was positively necessary for the script to be changed then the sooner; the better.

"Steph said it herself that the screenplay was great," Peter uttered, his voice laced with doubt that didn't come very often.

It was more than great, actually. It was spot-on. That must have been the real source of the shock. The script had received a lot of praises. They're biased but some may be genuine, and for it to be scraped off sounded unwise.

If Steph thought highly of the script, Maxwell begged to differ, "It is not the screenplay itself, but the story; it's downright dull. I know most of you think otherwise, but you can't deny the content is hackneyed. I expected you two," she paused, her sharp gaze shifting to me and Peter. "could give a little more life into it in the future scenes, but it was already hopeless in the beginning.

"You see," she continued, "Ms Meyer could not be here everyday as she's occupied with a certain contest she's planning to hold together with Facebook. Her last visit here was mostly spent with Ella Winters. The young one shared what is called a 'fan fiction' with the authoress. I believe the latter was so intrigued that two days later, she contacted the writer of the story. The author gave her consent through a contract made shortly after. It is currently rewritten by our screenwriter. I suggest you go through the sixty-five chapter-ed story before reading through the script. A three day break will be given next week. By then, I expect you to be off book*." she stated it as a fact. It wasn't like she was asking for a consensus, anyway.

What. A. Surprise. A movie based on a fan fictional story. Was this another Fifty Shades Of Grey thing? _Sweet Jesus, I hope it doesn't involve a riding crop._

Oh what the hell. 'Kinky toys add more audience impact', a certain woman with blonde hair once told me.

"This is what I was talking about, Peter," Ella spoke up, highly enthused. "when we first met."

I looked to Peter and saw his pre-stubble jaw slack.

"Ms Meyers had confirmed the story to be compatibly canon. So whatever happened in any of the characters' pasts, shapes what they are now."

Hot excitement sizzled on my skin and made my stomach lurch. I breathlessly traveled my gaze across the room. My eyes met with Richard's galvanizing pair, then to Robert's, Ella's and then finally Peter's. His were the warmest, _as always._

"From now on, Project: Stained Glass Soul will take over and officially begin in two weeks."

* * *

"I PM-ed the author of the story, and I thank my lucky stars that she was able to reply right away! She hasn't updated in months, y'know."

I stared down at paragraphs after paragraphs of the story in my phone. On the topmost part of it, the title written was 'Stained Glass Soul', and its author was a one named 'Mackenzie L'.

"This sure is a pretty poetic title," Peter remarked.

The three of us—Ella, Peter, and I, stayed behind in the office while the others retired for tonight.

"I think it's the perfect title," Ella mused. "you'll understand why once you finished the story."

I swept my gaze across her blemish-free face. "You like this story very much, don't you?"

She shrugged. "It's unique, y'know. I like unique."

"You sound a little sad though," my male co-star observed quietly. My heart swelled at the tone of his soft voice. I had no doubt that he was good at conversing with his daughters. Ella was no exception to the rule.

An embarrassed sort of laugh spilled from her. "I feel like a nerd wishing I could forget about this story so I could reread it again without knowing what's gonna happen."

Oh I knew the feeling. Lately, Sophie Kinsella had me engulfed with her fun reads—those kind that kept making me remember about phone calls and such. "You're not alone at that."

A look of discomfort passed Peter's face. "I don't want to be a drag, but I'm a bit skeptic about fan fiction. Who knows what people write in the internet."

"Oh don't worry," the teenager between us chirped. "just think of this as an exception; a dove among crows, a ripe apple among rotten ones, an Eminem among rappers."

"What?"

"Forget what I said. You guys got the complete PDF now, right?"

"Rated M," I mentioned stiffly. "something tells me I should be afraid of this fact,"

"The rated M stuff just comes and goes," she informed us adeptly. "It's the romantic parts you'll have to worry about. It'll bring out your inner Shakespeare. Next day you'll be like, 'Oh it pains me dearly how we are separated day by day. Where art thou, my elusive car keys?'"

Peter and I both chuckled.

Ella's cheeks reddened. "I remember not having to resort to any cheesy romance stories after this. It ruined me, to tell you frankly."

"And I'm ready to be ruined too," Peter followed bravely, and appeared as though he was really looking forward to getting ruined.

"I'm glad you shared your enthusiasm with Stephenie, Ella."

"Yeah well, I can tell that Ms Maxwell like the story too. I bet she's the kind of a person that rarely ever likes something. She'll be more than happy to direct this one. Oh, I can't wait for the movie to be made!" she squealed.

I glanced up at Peter as he delightfully smirked.

"Me too."

* * *

DAY 7

Through the pristine curtains of the balcony's glass slide door, sunlight intruded the dark confines of the top floor. It led me and Peter to eat our breakfast out in the balcony. It felt pleasant when the sun's generous warmth tickled my back as I licked my lips to rid of the persistent honey stuck on them. All thanks to the fresh croissants on my plate and the honey that gave it a little more love.

Fach sat across me donned in a white V-neck shirt, his dyed hair unsurprisingly disheveled and his lips pinker than usual.

"Have you met your fitness trainer yet?" he asked, trailing a hand across his unkept hair.

I was invariably distracted. "Mm no."

"Well I've met mine. I call him 'Muscles' in my head 'cause all I could see is his muscles. Literally. Wide pectorals, enormous biceps, and a ridiculous eight pack." he enumerated with a scoff. "He practically showed it to me. Who does that?"

I snorted, and held the cup of coffee to my lips.

"And he has a mouth of a motor. I bet his tongue lift weights."

Taking a sip of the beverage, I quirked an eyebrow. "His tongue, huh?" I noted afterward.

A look of shock pass his face, and was then replaced by a small, astute smile.

"Only God knows what you're thinking of right now. I was merely asking for confirmation," I seethed lightly.

His eyes twinkled while his smile widened. "Of course."

I encircled my hands on the warm cup of coffee and resisted the incredible urge to angrily run my fingers through his hair as he hung his head a little, rubbing a hand across his nape and glancing up at me with a rather seductive smirk.

_He was such a professional tease._

"What?" I fumed defensively, squeezing my thighs together.

"What, what?" the actor acted.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

He intensified his stare, and I intensified my glare. "I honestly don't know what you're talking about, Elizabeth Reaser."

I rolled my eyes. "You have that look on your face . . ."

He eyed me innocently, taking a bite of the bread. I was wary of how his eyes fell upon my lips, and then back to meet my gaze again.

"Yeah, that's the one." I huffed.

I endured the heat of his stare with my own. We dealt on with this unestablished contest until his mouth began to move.

"I discovered that I'd be pronouncing your character's name as '_Ess-me'_ rather than '_Ez-me_'," he explained breezily. "and I just figured out on how to specifically kiss you in the upcoming scenes."

I didn't know whether I should be confused or be filled with forbidden excitement at what he said, but then my bottom lip suddenly felt heavier.

"On what chapter of Stained Glass Soul are you on?"

He cocked his head to the side and pondered. "Sixteen."

"Wait," I was stunned. "you read the whole sixteen chapters in one go?"

He nodded, unnerved.

"I could barely go on after reading the fifth chapter! I had to grasp each paragraph, and let me tell you; it was not as easy as I thought it would be. The way the author wrote it was so detailed, and lovely, and. . . and frustrating at the same time!"

"I only skimmed through the story." he told me with a sheepish smile. "What I did actually read was Behind Stained Glass. It's the same story but in Carlisle and Edward's point of views. So that I could familiarize more with the former, I guess."

It didn't mean I was less impressed. I was even more so, considering the fact that he had two stories under his perfect nose.

"Wow," I whispered, my throat feeling constricted. I envied his passion. Back when we were filming Twilight up until Breaking Dawn, I never got to really know Esme. I knew her painful past and everything, but I never got the chance to actually know her. It hadn't been like I was ever given the chance too, anyway. The saga wasn't about her. But it didn't hinder the man in front of me.

"Yeah. You know how I am. It's kind of embarrassing."

"Embarrassing?" I repeated incredulously. "No. It's admirable, Peter. I mean, you get in touch with your character. Even in your daily life. That's . . . art, and it's amazing."

A demure smile formed his lips. "Well, I missed playing Carlisle. He's connected to me, in a way. I got to know him better when I read the first script, but now that I'm reading Mackenzie L's version of him . . . I don't think he's what Steph intended him to be. But I can't judge. She did say it's canon.

"This is the first time I've read what goes on inside Carlisle's mind. His interior." he went on in a passion-laced voice, "If Steph established this as canon , then maybe this must be what Carlisle really is. I'm not gonna tell you any more details. Your Esme is going to have to find out herself. You'll both discover what Carlisle really is. Beneath his pristine lab coats, his fashionable scarves (courtesy of Alice), and his bright sunshine of a hair. I don't recommend you reading 'Behind Stained Glass' just yet. It would make things more interesting, wouldn't it?"

I was speechless for a good minute, until I've finally found my voice. "Now I know why you're great actor."

He smiled gently. "Thank you," he mumbled. "I'm grateful you ended up playing Esme, Liz. I wouldn't want it to be anyone else. I just think you should know that."

I cast my eyes down, inspired by his humbleness. "I'll have you know that I don't understand Esme well enough. Unlike you; you treat Carlisle as a person, not a character. How do you do that?"

"I just do. Like you said; I treat him like a person, like I know him. He's fictional, but he has character. Even more so than some of the real people that actually walked on earth."

I nodded in awe. I'd never treated the characters I played to be more than what they were. In my head, it was all business. All these years, I had been doing it all wrong.

"If you'd like, you can browse through more of her written works. You can even find new things about Esme," he suggested.

"I'll do that. You know, it's . . . odd that the creator of this universe labeled something made by a complete stranger as canon."

He leaned nearer to me. "I kinda like this Carlisle and Esme more. And Edward. And how she writes about sex," he said as a matter-of-factly. I tried suppressing an indecent chortle and a blush at how the last word glided naturally out of his pink lips.

He grinned at my expression. "Seriously, she made the whole act of it sound like art and science woven harmoniously together. I doubt there wasn't anyone who cried reading porn before."

I was done trying to suppress when laughter burst out of me. "So you cried reading lemons?" I asked teasingly.

"Lemons?" he repeated, appearing to be lost.

"Literary internet porn. I'm surprised you don't know that."

He chuckled. "I'm not surprised you do. A rebellious tear rolled down my cheek; once or twice."

We shared bouts of laughter before they slowly subsided, leaving behind wide smiles on each of our lips. I lowered my eyes to my coffee. After I took a sip of it, the cream on its surface formed a peculiar heart shape. The warmth behind me returned.

"I'd want to know Esme more," I confessed.

He smiled softly at me. "You will."

His hand slowly came in contact with mine on the table. I welcomed him, taking refuge under his warm palm.

"I'll be who _she_ loves," he murmured, looking at me with his smoldering argent green eyes.

"And I'll be who _he_ loves."

* * *

After I had settled down from reminding myself again and again that his intentions were purely professional. And that the . . . things I had seen swirling in his eyes were confusing me more than it should.

I was always in desperate need of a distraction nowadays. So I'd decided to go meet my fitness instructor a little earlier than what was planned.

Jim the guard on duty, happily led me to the the other side of the building. I ascended through three flights of stair as was told, and when I arrived at my destination, knocked at the door first. Without getting answer, I let myself in. The first thing that captured my attention was the stretched out mirror on the front wall, followed by several gym equipment that looked like it had only been recently used.

Then at the center of the room was, I supposed, my trainer. She was holding a phone to her ears while her shapely back facing me.

"Uhuh," she uttered, nodding vigorously, her blonde hair tied in a ponytail shaking.

I stepped forward and pulled the door close behind me.

"Uhuh."

My forehead wrinkled in annoyance, as I had seen in the mirror, while I adjusted my sports bra strap since its tightness was beginning to become a burden. I may be concerned with my health, being a vegetarian and all, but I hated working out. I never needed it anyway, and I didn't know why I needed it now. I was fit, yes, but I was required to look 'exceptionally presentable' for the damned honeymoon scene which I doubted would last half a minute or two.

"Uhuh."

I didn't stop myself from rolling my eyes this time. _Had she even noticed me?_ If I had a knife and a different career, her Adidas top wouldn't just be pink anymore.

She tilted her head and placed a hand on her hip. "Uhuh."

_Say it one more time…_

"Ciao," she eventually spun around and acknowledged me with a wave. "Uhuh."

_Well at least that was the end of it_. She pocketed her phone and stretched out a hand to me.

"Hi, I'm Cindy," she chirped as we shook hands.

"Hello Cindy, I'm–"

"I know who you are," she smiled sweetly albeit rudely cutting me off. We were evidently off in a really good start here. "I'll be your nutritionist slash trainer for the year. I'll have you in tiptop shape just in time for those scenes where you'll show off some skin to that _sexy_ hunk of a co-star."

She wiggled her eyebrows in a peculiar way where they almost reached her hairline. I was amazed that I've met a bunch of interesting people ever since I'd accepted to play my recurring role.

"Okay," I said, just for the sake of letting her know that I got her drift.

She twirled a lock of her hair and smirked. "Giving the audience a good show," she trilled, her eyebrows doing it again. It made me feel exponentially uncomfortable. "him a better show, and yourself the best show when the final cut comes out. Very intense. When you're watching yourself doing it with that ruggedly, drop-dead gorgeous man. I mean, _can you even imagine the sexual tension_?"

I stared blankly at her, entertaining the thoughts of either bolting out of this room or flinging the weights on the mat to her.

"You know who I'm talking about," she eyed me like I was stupid. "Peter Facinelli. Like damn I remember me and the girls used to fantasize about him every waking momen—"

"Okay!" I choked out. "I got it. So shall we begin?"

Her big blue eyes twinkled, haughtily scanning my form. "You appear to be sexy . . . but not I-worked-my-ass-off-for-this sexy. My job is to make you look exactly that."

_How about I-have-no-idea-what-I'm-doing sexy?_

"Oh it's too early to sulk, darling. The producer is in a rush, so that's why I'm getting directly to the point here. My hot boyfriend's the one training your hot pretend-boyfriend, so everything will be in perfect sync. I can tell he's got the hots for you even though he won't admit it since our anniversary is coming up. But it's understandable. He's way out of your league, anyway. I hope you won't mind me and him trading info later," she winked and I felt sick in the stomach.

I pretended I've not heard the last two sentences. Or the whole paragraph. Or everything that had come out of her mouth. "Sure." I managed to choke out.

It was impressively awkward, standing immobile with Barbie here. She appeared to be waiting for something to happen. I must have mirrored her.

"Well?" She raised a perfectly drawn eyebrow. "You didn't introduce yourself."

I quirked mine too. "But you just told me that–"

"I've worked with tons of people who don't assume that I know them."

Irritation immediately bubbled up inside of me. "How could you work with them if–"

"I do my job," she interjected again, much to my aggravation. "then I get paid. No questions asked."

My left eye twitched irritably at this incredibly dense creature. "Look _Cindy_, I don't have time for your BS. Why don't you just get your pretentious ass out of this building before I ask the guards to maul you out?"

There was silence then—"Boom!" she exclaimed, pointing a manicured finger at me.

"Excuse me?"

Her taut form sauntered towards me. Her strong musky perfume hit me like a speeding bus would. She meticulously placed a hand under my jaw, cradling it with her palm. I couldn't even bring myself to glare at her. She was weirder than Maxwell—and that was saying something.

"The first step to having a sizzling hot bod where men—especially you-know-who— would die for, is to have an attitude," she said, looking at me with fire in her eyes. She was dead-serious. I was already expecting a dramatic training montage coming after. "and sister, that is an attitude that gives you an upper hand. It makes you sexier. Believe me if I was a guy, I'd YOLO-bang you right now." she rattled.

"I'm honestly trying not to ask you this, but the circumstances begged for it. Please don't be offended when I ask you; are you under some kind of medication or . . ."

"You are amazing at this, Liz Reaser." she grinned widely, showing off her set of pearly whites. "From now on, I will call you Liz Teaser, plainly because you're a tease. And yes, I am under medication. You are a very observant thing, aren't you?"

Well that was one thing crossed off from my list. "How will we begin?"

"Take off your shirt," she ordered.

I shot her a suspicious glare.

She laughed. "Look Teaser, I'm not a guy here so I won't do anything to you. I just need to evaluate how you look."

I begrudgingly shrugged off my gym top, and endured being gawked at by this odd, medicated woman.

She was silent as she trailed her eyes up and down my form.

"Um . . . hello?" I called out to her minutes after.

"Oh. Yes," she was hesitant. "no, wait," then she circled me like Maxwell would circle the set. I was convinced they were related.

"So what we'll need to do is . . . nothing much really. You fit your character's description well."

I was pleased, but opted not to show it, raising an eyebrow. "I do?"

"Yes, but I think we'll have to make minor adjustments. Namely; your thighs and your hips. And let's try to flatten your tummy more. I know the perfect exercises for that."

Right. _Minor_. I could deal with minor.

* * *

It was late morning and the sun had already begun to loom over the city. The darkening sky suggested it would pour heavy rain tonight. Oddly enough, the wind that blew pass me was hot and humid. I breathed in a lot of it.

It had turned out Cindy misunderstood what the word 'minor' meant. And the fact that I wasn't used to exercise that much contributed to my aching muscles.

Cindy must've thought Esme was a fucking Victoria Secret's model.

She'd set a standard which I was already tempted to deviate from. I felt my lungs were going to collapse after she had instructed me to do continuous sit-ups and those other exercises I had never heard of, while subsequently forcing me to drink her specially made fitness drink. And by special, I meant it consisted of every gross thing you can find in the fridge.

"Hey."

I veered my head around, and was greeted by a sight mostly seen in the covers of a men health's magazine. Fach was clad in his white undershirt, exhibiting his scandalously attractive biceps. Multiple beads of sweat covering his forehead, adding more visual appeal to his persona. And _hallelujah_, bless the growing stubble on his jaw. If Cindy could only see what I was seeing, I bet she'd drown in your own drool.

"How was your training session?" he asked stuffily, as though he was still catching his breath.

"Well for starters, I can't feel the lower half of my body," I stated wearily. _Oh, who was I kidding?_ Ever since my eyes fell upon him, everything especially in the lower half of my body felt alive. Hooray for me.

"That's funny 'cause I can't feel the _upper_ half of my body." he followed, cracking his knuckles.

An unladylike guffaw spilled from my lips.

He grinned boyishly. "It got me thinking that Muscles might have believed that my abs would instantly pop out of my stomach by exercising one session,"

I covered a hand to my mouth before I could over-indulge his humor by throwing my head back hard enough to fling myself off the balcony. "Has he ever mentioned his girlfriend?" I asked.

He moved to join me. "Only that he talked about her the whole session. Her name's Cindy, isn't it? With all the grunts I was emitting during the session, I misheard him saying that I should always take my daily meals with candy."

"That sounds enticing," I commented to both of the idea of him grunting and about candies. "and unhealthy. But mostly enticing." I grazed my teeth over my lower lip. "They sure have a lot in common. And I just found out that his name is Max. Did you know that?"

"No, I did not know that."

I chuckled and turned around, trailing my eyes down the busy streets below. "Cindy said that I already match Esme's appearance. Except for the fact that I don't have 'child-bearing' hips. What the hell am I going to do about that?"

His eyebrows shot up. "Your hips?"

Fire licked my cheeks and my hands tingled as he scrutinized the lower part of my body with his wildly adventurous eyes.

"You're . . . voluptuous," he added with a smirk and as clichéd as it may sound, my heart skipped a beat.

I diverted my attention by flicking my gaze back to the streets below. "Thanks."

"I think you won't even need those much adjustments. Apparently, Carlisle has to look 'sexier' than Edward. The son never surpasses the father. At least that's what Max thinks." he said. I glanced at him, his brows furrowing in concentration.

"Oh."

"Yeah," he said, rubbing his belly. "and he told me I'm fat."

"What? No," I leaned back, and justifiably caressed my gaze along his body. He wasn't hot; he was inappropriately sexy.

His broad shoulders gave a shrug. "He was indirect with telling me, but I caught his drift. The guy couldn't just say it to me in the face."

"Fach, let me just make it clear to you," I prepared to savor the feeling of verbally telling him this. "You look gorgeous. He doesn't see that 'cause he's a guy."

His lips formed a shy smirk when I shot him a reassuring smile. "Thank you."

"He probably wasn't used to seeing different bodies other than his. Condescending bastards." I grumbled on his behalf.

He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the towel draped across his shoulders. "They're just doing their jobs, I guess. Part of which involves critiquing. I think they aren't even thorough in that department."

"Tell that to Cindy," I muttered indiscreetly, raising my hands to untie the ponytail on my head. It was great timing, since a series of light wind blew pass us. Thick locks of my hair fell neatly into place. I ran my fingers through the tendrils in a carefree fashion, satisfied at how great my hair's volume was when it bounced freely.

I glanced at Peter, whose reverent gaze met mine. "Her opinions of you are indefinite 'cause she's a woman," he said, smiling that smile where his eyes would soften and his dimples would threaten to show.

I was compelled to tear my gaze away from him. I wasn't in particular approval of my brain to contrive love poems about what I thought I had seen in his eyes.

I chuckled, mostly at my silly thoughts. "Maybe we should trade trainers. That way, we'd be critiqued without prejudice."

He snorted and crossed his arms together. "Muscles—I mean,_ Max_—will end up being in your utter disposal. Despite his alleged love for his 'Bae', he practically worships you."

I stared wide-eyed at him. "No," I said even though I was already vaguely aware of this information.

"Yes," he laughed at my expression.

"_Cindy_ worships _you_!" I shrieked.

"No," he mimicked my reaction.

I laughed so hard that I had to steady myself on the balustrade.

"I say; that's quite a wicked idea. Exchanging me with the trainer who you know overtly fancies me," he pouted.

"You're no better! With a guy like him, whose tongue can allegedly lift weights . . ."

He widened his eyes before throwing his head back and laughed heartily, from deep within his chest. It sounded glorious.

I frowned when I came to the realization of why he was laughing that way. "Eww, that's not what I meant!" I screeched as he continued laughing. "Gag me."

"Of course," his laughter slowly subsided, but immediately reignited again when he saw what could have been my pissed off expression. "Of course it's not what you meant. It's just . . ."

I hit him squarely on his chest, and turned away from him, feigning hurt.

His laughter muffled, and finally ceased. "Sorry. My mind's a little dirty sometimes. Perks of being male."

"Of course," I muttered, mimicking his way of saying it.

"Aw, I said I'm sorry," he said with remorse, and I almost gave in. _Almost._

I crossed my arms together and harrumphed peevishly.

"Wait. I know exactly how to make it up to you . . ."

Curiosity got the best of me when I veered my head around and saw him in a deadly stance. His hands were in position in front of him, and his smile was diabolical.

"Don't you dare make a move, Facinelli. You hear that? God help me, one of us is going to fall a million feet below if you ever care to proceed," I stuttered, literally panicking over his little antic.

He took a step forward, and I leaned dangerously against the balustrade, my heart thumping hard in my chest. He wouldn't.

Instead of coming in contact with my most sensitive tickling region, his hands braced themselves on the balustrade, trapping me between his strong arms.

My whole body was instantly on fire. The same fiery feeling I got from exercising. Except that this was more intense, and I was afraid he'd recoil from the heat. But he didn't. Instead, his warm breath continued to bathe my face. His lean body was mere millimeters away from mine, but I can feel every fiber of his being pulling me towards him. His marine scent surrounded me, inducing me in a mentally-disorienting state. He was smiling that smile again.

_I was doomed._

I thought I was doomed before; when he was about to tickle me, but I was more doomed now that I had ever been.

Before my legs could spontaneously turn into jelly, he leaned forward to the side my head and whispered in my ear, "The hairs at the back of your head are tangled."

My throat produced an unappealing choking sound as I abruptly raised my hand on the said part of my head and winced. There were indeed nasty tangles formed by the messy ponytail I had made.

He unlatched himself from our strange embrace when he sensed my distress. "I could get you a hairbrush—"

"It's fine," I interrupted, repeatedly stroking my hair down to untangle the knots, while still feeling hot and more definitely bothered.

I _really_ wished he hadn't done that. He was so near to me, wearing the undershirt he sweated profusely in for god's sake!

I resumed my current position before he had trapped me in a peculiar embrace, with my body turning away from him. I managed to free my poor, mistreated locks from entanglement.

_Distraction, where art thou?_

I peered over the busy streets below, just as what I had been doing before Peter accompanied me. The experience was slightly different, even though we were both silent at the moment. Everything had always been different when he was around. I sighed quietly. I may have underestimated the effort required to get myself over him after all.

"Oops. Code red."

I glanced questioningly at him.

"A photographer," he pointed out.

I followed his gaze and found a tall figure in one of the windows of a far opposite building, taking shots at our direction with a camera.

"Come on," he murmured, gently grasping my arm and pulling me with him back inside.

"Just as I was planning on going out to run every morning," he sighed, closing the curtains on the glass slides. "I was even wondering if we could go together."

"Rob would've like that too."

"He would," he murmured. His lips twisted to a smirk. "But then again, we'd have a hard time catching up to him. He is, after all, the fastest vampire in the family."

"Touché," I snickered. "But seriously, it's a really nice suggestion, but given the circumstances; it'd be impossible." I added dejectedly.

"Not impossible." he grinned, his face lighting up. "Disguises," he made his way towards the kitchen counter. "You know how it is."

"Like that's ever going to work again. That guy saw us even when we were far away from him."

"Technology and a clear vision may have contributed to that."

"And we can't do anything about it," I muttered, sitting on a barstool facing him. "_'Hello good sir, can you not butt in our business_?'"

"Have you tried that?"

"No, because it'll only worsen everything." I huffed. "I might as well just fill them in and give them my love. "

"How sweet," he cooed.

"I want to _eat_ something sweet."

"As do I. Nutritionist's orders," he added.

He moved to the counter on his left, and reached for one of the top cabinet.

"There's a bag of Skittles here," he glanced at me with a secretive smile. "You know what I'm thinking?"

I bit my lower lip, and smirked. "You'd say that to Kellan or Jackson, but not to me."

He took the bag and weighed it in his hand. I perceived a look of melancholia pass his face.

"I could guess," I blurted out, and said the first thing that came to mind, "Does it involve another pack of candy?"

He recovered immediately with an adoring smile. "You got that right."

* * *

"This is so evil," I laughed for about four times since he asked the lady at the snack bar for a bag of M&amp;M's.

He poured all the Skittles in the bowl without a second thought. "It's only evil for those who blindly take a handful and stuff it all to their mouths."

"I can imagine its taste. It's on the tip of my tongue; nasty _and_ horrible," I grimaced.

"That's the beauty of it."

He made sure to scramble the colorful M&amp;M's and Skittles together. By the looks of it, you couldn't even tell which is which.

"We won't be held responsible. Each piece is labeled. It's up to them," he said, a trace of mischief in his tone.

"Who'll have the honor of being our first victim?" I asked excitedly.

He rubbed his chin. "Hmm. Lydia could use some sweets . . ."

"No! She's a weirdo. She'll know right away. '_Mr Facinelli, Ms Reaser, what in god's name are you planning_?' she'd say even before she sees us," I explained, mimicking her usual tone of voice.

"But _we're_ not weirdos, right?" he grinned.

"No," a fifth laugh spilled from my lips. "we're not."

* * *

We strode along the corridor with not-so-good intentions. I changed to a lavender T-shirt and a pair of black leggings. The scheming man beside me hid his notorious upper arms with a light arm-length sleeved cotton shirt.

Peter and I were debating about what came first; the chicken or the egg, inspired by the precarious portrait we'd came upon hanging beside a miniature version of The Thinker on the upper floor when we spotted Rob lounging in one of the sofas. Summit's interior designer must've really loved couches; they were everywhere. At least ten of them on each floor. Rob didn't seem to mind as he acknowledged us with a wave of his hand.

"What's up?" he greeted us in his smooth British accent, pulling an earphone bud from one of his ears.

I glanced down at the bowl of colorful chaos in Peter's hands. I took a piece for good measure.

"Just hanging," I replied languidly.

"Right," he eyed us carefully. "I'm obediently reading the story, as you can see," he showed us his phone's screen. "I'm not really looking forward to witnessing Madame Director's wrath. Are you guys already going through the tentative script?"

"Not yet."

We both sat separately, with Rob between us, and tried not to look so conspicuous. Acting came so natural to us but in this situation, the tension seemed palpable.

"So . . ." he transferred his gaze from Peter to me. "any specific reason why the both of you are here? We don't usually hang out together back then."

It was true. Only because we'd been traumatized and determined not to try to cross paths with him due to us frequently catching him and Kristen on the act. We'd tried to be adults about it but _Christ, it was impossible_. I remembered Peter and I were discussing about _freakin'_ cats when we stumbled upon them about to do it on the kitchen countertop in broad daylight. Maybe that was the reason why we were both disinclined to operate kitchen appliances.

"Yes well, we're trying to rectify that," I defended, leaning against the couch cushions to appear more relaxed.

"Yeah. Rectifying," Peter added, casting me a knowing glance. It was difficult maintaining eye contact with him due to the handsome obstacle between us.

It was a struggle not to simply let my lips twist into a smile. I rarely made mistakes when we'd shoot, but this was a prank. Pranks weren't really my thing. But I did it anyway. For Peter. But mostly for me to witness the look on their faces.

"Partly because we just wanted to walk around for a while," I might have sounded too casual.

"Candy?" Peter offered him, noticing my uneasiness and went for the kill.

"Oh," Rob reached in the bowl and took a handful. "You don't mind–"

"Not at all," I quickly said.

I had to press a hand to my mouth to keep myself from laughing. Peter looked at me with a tamed smile.

"Thanks."

"No problem," my partner-in-crime eagerly responded.

"So what chapter are you on now?" I asked for the sake of distracting him when he was about the check what was on his hand.

Success. He took a look at his phone and scrolled at the bottommost part of the texts. "Twelve," he answered, and popped several pieces of the candy into his mouth.

I almost felt bad when he immediately grimaced.

"Oh, is the part where–"

Rob coughed, and made a belching sound. "Ugh. This is awful!" he rasped, his face contorting with disgust.

I bit hard on my lower lip and squeezed my eyes shut. When I opened them, I only saw the back of Rob's head, which was full of messy brown hair.

"Did you—was this a _prank_?!" he screeched to Peter.

"Of course not," he responded in a stoic voice, convincing enough that I would have actually believed him.

Rob turned to me with an accusing glare. I shrugged and feigned innocence.

"Why am I always the target," he grumbled, standing up while almost losing balance. "I could deal if it was just Peter but you," he turned to one side, out of Fach's eyeshot, and cast me a sad glance. "I would have never imagined . . ."

He stomped off into his room, and slammed the door shut. Peter turned to me, looking surprised and a little guilty. I grinned at him, smug to have seen a bright smile on Robert's face again.

* * *

Peter hesitated to go on with the prank because of what he thought Rob might have felt, but I affirmed him that it was just a harmless, innocuous prank.

"Oh it's fine Mr Facinelli. Thank you for offering," Joan repeated, her cheeks flushing red. We were about to go back to our room when Joan just happened to pass by. Her hair was tied neatly in a ponytail, and her business attire was impressively immaculate. I thought about it, but I've never seen her not wearing anything casual. Back when we'd been shooting Twilight, the said dress code was always the theme. We'd only gone formal when we were dining out or attending parties.

"I insist, Joan. You need sugar to keep up with Lady Hawk," Peter urged.

"Lady Hawk?" Maxwell's assistant repeated in a small, disbelieving voice, casting a nervous glance at my direction. "Well okay," she finally conceded.

She was reaching out a hand when her phone rang.

"Oh! It must be Lady Ha—Ms Maxwell again," she squeaked, fumbling out her phone. "Excuse me."

She almost tripped in her heels when she sped around the corner.

Peter sighed. "I know this is her job and all, but she really needs a break."

"Yeah. Particularly her phone; it needs to be broken. Maxwell's been calling her nonstop," I agreed.

"When I see her again, I'll try to bump into her and _accidentally_ crack her phone in her pocket with my strong hip," he said proudly, tapping his said body part as if to reassure himself.

"Let me do it. After all, I do have _voluptuous_ hips."

He smirked, and patted my hip. "I don't want to risk damaging those Esme-like hips of yours."

"Oh?" I dared blithely, walking up beside him to wherever he was heading to.

He shrugged. "That is; if you can take on her iPhone six."

"I drink lots of milk," I assured him with a wide smile. "and I bend well too."

* * *

I didn't realize we'd arrived on set until busy chattering filled my ears. My eyes caught Jerry, the film's main cinematographer, with hands firmly on his hip. He was an easy-going guy, but when it came to work, he was one of the best. I snatched the bowl from Peter's hands and made my way to Jerry, beckoning my partner to follow me.

When he saw me, his ocean-blue eyes lighted up and his lips twisted to a pleasant smile.

"Hey Ms Reaser! The house's still under construction, but no worries. It'll be done in no time."

He was such a gentleman. I wanted to prank him _so_ bad.

"Of course Jerry, and call me Liz. Would you like some?"

He grinned widely, his puffy cheeks rising. "Don't mind if I do, Liz!"

Jerry greeted Fach right when he caught up to me. He cheerily took a handful of the candies and before I could even anticipate the look that would soon form on his face, he easily dropped them into his green fanny pack.

I blinked rapidly as he adjusted his headset.

"Well, I gotta go now. You know how strict Ms M tends to be. Don't be strangers, you two. And thanks!" he exclaimed and walked away.

My co-star took a piece of candy from the bowl. "He's the first person I've ever bore witness to smiling while mentioning Lady Hawk's name."

I pouted. "I wanted to prank him."

"My my, Ms Reaser. I didn't know you had it in you."

My lips twitched. "And what exactly do I have in me?"

He spread his arms out, attempting to exaggerate things when given the chance. "The passion for pranking. That exhilarating thrill of the ride; where you build up the moment and race against time, and that rush you feel waiting for it to happen, and when it does . . . it feels amazing."

"You mean sex?"

He opened his eyes and blinked. "That too, actually."

I laughed carelessly, and tugged at his sleeve. "Come on. I know who'll be our next victim."

* * *

Our petite target stood a few feet away from us. She had arrived here hours ago, and was already practicing her lines. She must have been taking a break now. We approached her then. I felt guilty for procrastinating, but I figured I needed this to distract myself for the inner turmoils I was having.

I shook my head and muttered under my breath. _I needed to focus_. My past self would have laughed at how serious I was treating this prank thing, but I was not in the mood to spoil it.

"Dr and Mrs Cullen," Ella nodded briskly when she saw us, wearing a cheerful grin which reminded me of our failed attempt to prank Jerry.

Such a sweet girl. I desperately wanted to see her youth-filled face twist in agony caused by candy.

"Ah, Ms Platt. Climbed any trees today?" Peter began our charade, wearing a charming smile.

"No," she said, tilting her head to the side. "A certain doctor told me not to anymore."

I played along fabulously. "But I was told you were quiet rebellious, dear."

"I suppose I still am, Mrs Cullen," Ella was having a hard time suppressing a grin.

"Growing girls like you need nutrition. Mind if I offer you candies?" _Yes, I was aware of the irony of what I'd said._

She gave the bowl a rather cognizant glance. "Does your husband approve of a healing girl eating junk food?"

"Oh this doctor doesn't consider candy as _junk food_, young lady. The more correct term for it is 'climbing food'."

"Climbing food?" Ella repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, so that you may have more energy to climb trees," Peter explained artfully.

"Why doctor! I had so foolishly injured my leg because of that, and yet you _encourage_ me to repeat the activity."

"Well now, it certainly won't stop you from doing it again." I asserted.

Her eyes shone with delight. "No, it would not."

I offered the bowl to her in a way that suggested I was merciful enough to give her a second chance. I nodded my consent when she looked to me as if asking, 'are you sure?'. _Silly girl._

She smiled endearingly, and deliberately chose the ones that were M&amp;M's.

I resisted the urge to harrumph as she looked at me and apathetically shrugged. Our façade crumbled. "I don't like Skittles. Nice try though."

Ella tilted her head to the side at the sight of our seemingly disappointed frowns. "Come on guys. I fell for this once. Or twice . . . but it doesn't matter now 'cause it won't happen again. Try Mr Armitage. He's here somewhere, I think. I'd love to see him be pranked."

We both heaved a defeated sigh.

"I had you at _'growing girls need nutritio_n'." she eyed me with a cheeky smile. "But great acting, you guys. Y'know, you put the fake girls in my class to shame!"

"That was the most flattering compliment I've ever heard from you, Ella." Peter joked.

"I try," she gave us a thumbs up. "Good luck on your next prank attempt."

Peter then glanced at me with a hopeful smirk that said, 'You heard the girl. Off to Richard.'

* * *

Fach and I both giggled like little kids in our hiding place when several of the crew members complained of the ghastly taste of mixed chocolate and sugared candy when we'd left the bowl on a table, with its tempting colors responsible for luring them to their suffering. They'd vowed to watch what they eat from now on. Literally. Rob had also told them to watch out for me and Peter too—and that this was only the beginning. I buried my face on Peter's shoulder, muffling my laughter.

"That went terribly well. Definitely on my top ten," he remarked, chuckling.

I enjoyed the darkness offered behind a partially constructed wall of the unfinished house. The fact that we weren't supposed to be here stirred a sense of nostalgic rebellion inside of me. I drew a breath. "I didn't know it would feel _this_ gratifying."

I'd not participated in pranks back then, because it seemed infantile. And I was right. But this was _hella_ fun.

"You'll get used to it. You know what Rob said; this is only the beginning," he grinned sinisterly.

"'I'm looking forward to it," I murmured, vaguely aware of our closeness.

"You know who's next . . ."

I backed away from him and winked. "The place is clearing. Let's get that bowl."

* * *

Our next and probably last destination was the barroom just next to the snack bar. Peter answered a call and told me to go ahead. One of the crew warily told us where Richard was after the rather hilarious incident with on set.

I entered the bar and was swept away by the delicious aroma of alcohol. Cindy had advised me to lessen my alcohol intake, and all I could think was, '_less alcohol to be sexy? Hm . . . I'd better drink to that'._

The lighting was a bit dim on the way to the counter, but there wasn't that many people and I could recognize Richard's confident pose anywhere. His shoulders were never slumped, and his back was straight and held an air of authority. He was quite the ideal debonair gentleman every woman would want.

I made myself comfortable next to him. His rousing gaze flicked to me instantly.

"Hi," I greeted him in a sugar-coated voice.

"Hello."

I noticed one shot glass in front of him. I held back a frown, knowing the chances of him getting pranked was pretty low. He was an observant fellow, especially when sober.

"How are you?" he asked me in an unusually husky voice.

I fixed my gaze to his face. "Great. I'm making great progress on the new story. You?"

He eyed the bowl of candy I had laid on the mahogany counter. "Never better."

I smiled and held on to his gaze. "Need a little sugar?"

"Yes please," he said, "_Won't you come and put it down on me_?" he sang, sending me a dashing smile.

I laughed blissfully. I really needed to stop looking at people smile when I was trying to prank them. It made me feel guilty.

"Thank you."

"I thought you were gonna continue with the song reference, mister."

He smirked, and with the piece of candy he'd taken, held it to his mouth.

My inner mischievousness yawned.

"Just one?" I stated teasingly, annoyance dug deep in my tone.

He tapped his fingers against the counter, and gazed at me in that way. What was it with these men and their eyes . . .

"I don't like sweets very much."

"That's too bad," I commiserated.

He lowered his gaze, and in an achingly slow manner, returned it to me. "You're an exception, though."

I smirked, ignoring the tingling sensation residing deep in my belly. "Oh?"

_I swore the day when God had created him, He'd created seduction as well_. "Believe me Elizabeth, I might end up liking sweets if I ever get enough of you."

_Oh god why did every male species in this vicinity enjoyed teasing me? I mean, I didn't deny their attention, but come on! I was trying pave the way for women by unconventional means of dealing with hot men who was obliviously asking for it._

Even when I was mentally rambling on, I decided to indulge him a little more. "Why Mr Armitage, are you flirting with me? "

"_Believe me Elizabeth_, he is."

I turned to see Fach strutting towards us. Richard subtly leaned further away from me and cleared his throat. "Peter."

"Richard," he replied. Was that how men greet each other nowadays?

He occupied the stool next to me, and ordered a glass of whiskey from the bartender.

I delicately ran my fingers through my hair and watched each of the bottles of alcohol displayed out front. I craved for the taste of that red wine Peter had recently brought here, but I was determined to lay off the alcohol for a while.

"You've been away lately. Have you gotten a movie offer?" I asked.

"Yes; a thriller. Charles Evenson isn't frequent on his appearances in the new script, so I'm afraid I may rarely be here from now on."

I nodded, shifting on my seat. The mixed scents in the air went straight to my core, prompting me dizziness. Not to mention these men's strong musky scents lingering strongly from each side of me. Overwhelmed, I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples.

"Liz, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I murmured, and grazed a finger to my lips. _Lord, I could almost taste it._

There was silence, aside from the slow music emitting from the speakers. An unmistakable surge of warmth spread from my neck down to my body. Their piercing gazes on me were _not_ helping.

I sat rigidly, my traitorous imagination taking unfair advantage of me. Three. It involved the number three. And . . . _Oh fuck you, imagination!_ Fuck, I just said it. I said it again!

"So a thriller, huh? " I managed to rasp out.

I glanced at Richard and saw him smile diminutively. "I'm playing a hunter named Hank. He's interesting enough. Though he can be a bit of a bastard sometimes, he has nothing against Evenson."

"He's more of a monster than a vampire could ever be," Peter concurred.

"Think of it this way, if Charles hadn't treated Esme like that she would've never driven her self off a cliff," I mused, glad to have stirred their attention away from me.

"And Carlisle would never have seen her again," Peter added, "and we would have never met you, Liz."

"Since obviously, there'd be no movie to shoot," Richard went along.

"And I wouldn't be sitting between you two," I let out a chuckle that triggered their own.

"Speaking of which," Peter gestured to our bowl of prank material. "wouldn't you like some more?"

"Oh, no." Richard declined, waving his hand dismissively. "I'm not falling for that."

"Falling for what, exactly?" I queried. _Shit_. The jig was up.

He chuckled deeply. "I believe my eyes did not deceive me when I noticed both brands of similar-looking candies cleverly mixed together. "

"You have pretty good eyesight then," Peter snorted.

"Unlike some people . . ."

"To think you were really planning to prank yours truly." Richard raised an eyebrow.

"It's only called a prank when your face contorts a second after you taste the reason why companies like M&amp;M's and Skittles never collaborated together." Peter clarified.

"I swear we did not intend to prank anyone," I laughed. "After what happened with Rob, anyway."

"Said two actors," Richard mentioned, amused.

As I was about to justify the unjustifiable, I felt an incessant vibration in my pocket. I took out my phone, and saw my agent's name appearing on its screen.

"I gotta take this call. Excuse me."

I pressed answer and held it to my ear when I exited the bar.

"Hi Rose."

"Hello," she replied, "I'm here at the Summit's building Café. Can we meet now?"

I glanced up at the parlor next to the bar.

"Sure. Be there in a sec."

I returned to the bar and informed my co-stars about my meeting.

Richard took my hand and gently grazed his lips on the back of it. "See you around."

"Okay," I mumbled unhappily.

His captivating eyes were noticeably woeful as they stared right at me, reminding me that I genuinely enjoyed spending time with him.

I was supposed to be used to sad goodbyes. It tends to happen a lot when you have projects in different places. I had a hard time adjusting with a different set of cast and crew after the last installment of Twilight.

I gave him one last smile before heading to the cafe, shaking off depressing thoughts. I should have been glad that I got to work with Peter and Rob again.

I examined the the Café from its exterior and was impressed of its simplicity and grace. There were fresh flowers planted on pots near its windows. Summit had it really going with making the crew at home. It was convenient that it had already these establishments inside its building. It only had five floors, but each flooring covered the lot widely. I had found out that Peter and I only occupy a small part of the fifth floor, despite its vastness.

Once I entered the cafe, I spotted Rose sitting in the farthest table from the entrance. I ambled towards her when the smell of freshly brewed coffee reached my nose. Why did everything smell so good all of the sudden?

"Rose," I said, prompting her attention. She looked up from her phone and acknowledged me with a smile. "What brings you here? I thought everything was settled." I continued once I sat myself down in front of her.

My agent was a slim woman with dark, almost black hair which she let it hang down her shoulders. "Your contract is being renewed at the moment." she began. "I was informed that the script was changed. It affects a great deal of the intricate plans made. The studio executives begin to question Ms Meyers sudden decision. Every preparation made to fit the first script has all been scraped off. Although we can say that it's not a big deal and all. But the second script differs greatly from the first one. The crew are dealing with rough adjustments, and the budget has been stretched."

"So what does it mean?"

"Gabriel Hunt, the line producer, had to find another set of actors to play the extras. He also requested a renewal of each of the cast member's contracts. New script; new rights. The decision of Pattinson as Edward Cullen was made final. Ms Meyer said she's willing compensate for the delay."

"It's only been a week of the filming. What are the executives so worked up for? Did they not have contingency plans for this? Maxwell said some of the scenes shot will still be of use." I couldn't hide the annoyance in my tone.

"The anonymous contributor was informed of the screenplay being changed. She was thrilled, to say the least. It turns out that the fan fiction was made by her 'beta-reader' or to put it simply, her editor. I don't understand why she didn't just request for it to be made into a script. She has contributed a large sum after all."

"It's still up to Steph. Does the contributor still want to stay anonymous?" I asked.

"Yes, and we told her that the new information given was strictly confidential. She said she had no intentions of spoiling anything."

I couldn't help but smile. This contributor oddly reminded me of Ella.

"She did say she'll visit on the last day of the shooting." she added, narrowing her eyes at me."So how are you? Did the feeling of nostalgia came crashing down on you? " she teased. _Ah, I liked this side of Rose._ She was more of a sister to me than an agent.

"Yes," I nodded. "It still feels like home."

"I heard that you and Mr Facinelli share a bedroom. It's still in the contract, you know. Is that okay with you?"

"You _heard_ that? You make it sound like it's a rumor spreading 'round the city." I joked, hoping she did too.

"It's not unusual in your case. But in my honest opinion, it's awkward." she lowered her voice and said, "How can you maintain a platonic work relationship like that? If this goes out to the media, it'll—"

"Explode, I know. You sound like my attorney, Rose." I stated sheepishly.

"I'm just lookin' out for you."

"I'm fine with it. It's for the movie. And we've known each other for a long time. Yes, there may have been awkward moments . . ." I trailed off, dreading to have remembered each one of them.

"Like what?" Rose sounded nonchalant, but she didn't appear to be one.

" . . .that I'd rather not share until I turn eighty." I shot her a reproachful frown. "Look, the bottom line is; I still can't complain or am lazy enough to file a complaint. He seems to be fine with it, and I am too."

"Of course he's okay with it. He's a guy," she pointed, staring skeptically at me. I placed a hand on my forehead and groaned, my resolve crumbling.

"Okay! You got me." I sighed dejectedly. Now I knew why she had chosen the farthest table from other occupants. "Damn, Rose. I admit it's really hard to sleep in the same room with him, but I'm trying here. I don't know why Maxwell think this would be for the good of the movie."

She nodded understandingly. "Lydia Maxwell works in mysterious ways; through which the movies she had directed became a success." she explained. "She's an auteur**, but her name has been tarnished in the past. There had been a minor scandal she was involved in a few years ago. That's why she took a break, thinking, well, maybe people must have forgotten it. She's going to reflect the movie's performance. I think it's better if you trust her on this. She's on her element now. What do you get when you combine a great script, a great director, and a great cast and crew?

"A blockbuster hit." I answered diligently.

"Exactly. Those minor setbacks; you shouldn't let yourself be worried about them much. I don't mean to sound patronizing but take this as an advice which I don't think you really need—"

"Spit it out, Rose." I urged her.

"Well, just do what you think is right. There's already a buzz regarding this movie-making, and I suggest you limit stepping out of this building if you don't fancy being swarmed by the Pestering P's. You'll soon shoot out in a permitted and secluded area for a necessary forest setting. You'll be moved to trailers again."

"I'm not looking forward to that." I muttered.

She let out a little smile. "I forgot you don't fancy shooting outdoors."

"It doesn't bother me. It's just a matter of preference."

Her eyebrows knitted together. "You guys are needed to stay close to set because in fear of . . . repeating what happened last time with the others."

The riot that began on set. Of course that'd cause the producers paranoia. We were nearly going to postpone shooting Eclipse. But luckily, things had settled down before it got any worse.

Her expression was all business now. "You and Peter weren't . . . entirely involved but the executives would rather take precautionary measures this time. Especially Stephenie. She had been really upset of what happened. She completely trusts you two, but like I said; it's better safe than sorry. You guys need to wrap up as soon as possible because a waste of time can be tolerated only once or twice."

"I understand."

"Alright. That's all," she stood up from her sit and extended a hand to me. "I'll keep in touch. You have your stand-ins doing scene blocking now. The set's being rebuilt, and your call-sheets will be delivered to you soon."

I shook her hand, while she leaned forward and pecked my right cheek.

"Okay. Thanks, Rose. Say hi to Greg for me."

"I will. Take care."

* * *

I grinned widely, but refrained from giggling like a little school girl. I had set aside the book I was determined to finish and continued reading Stained Glass Soul instead. And I was thankful I did.

I visualized Peter being sprinkled with powdered sugar on set, and wishing not to be swarmed by ants afterward. He'd then proceed to make lame jokes about it, and I'd still end up loving them.

I blissfully savored each and every word in the story; puzzle pieces I can later on put together. So far, I hadn't noticed a change in Carlisle's behavior. He was the same compassionate and caring doctor that tended to Esme's leg in the summer of 1911. I did laugh a lot at Edward's little side comments. Poor boy; having to hear Esme's love-struck thoughts.

"What got you giggling like that?" Peter asked while ceaselessly rummaging through his closet, perhaps looking for an entrance to Narnia.

I ran my teeth over my lower lip and laughed giddily, the vision of the powdered sugar resurfaced in my mine. "This story tickles my funny bone," I expounded.

"Your funny bone isn't the only one getting tickled. Trust me."

"Don't tell me you've already finished reading the whole_ sixty-five_ chapters."

"Almost," he confirmed, muttering something incoherent when his hand smoothed out the gray t-shirt he had picked up from the closet.

"No."

"Yes."

"What happens?" I trilled, perking up from my bed.

He pressed the shirt to his nose. "I don't appreciate giving out spoilers," his muffled voice uttered.

"Come on. Please?"

He skimmed his nose along the piece of clothing. "Let's just say when Carlisle fell in love with Esme, the 'com' in his compassion crumbled."

"Really," I looked curiously at him.

"Just read the damn story."

I snorted disapprovingly and sat up. "Which one of the fifty shades of gray is that color?"

"Which is the kinkiest?" he shot back, examining the shirt with a critical eye.

"All of them," I replied, smirking. "Why do you keep sniffing at it?"

He stopped his ministrations and came near me. "Take a whiff of this."

His arm reached out to hand me his shirt. He was practically telling me to smell what his body was usually covered with. Peter's hobbies must've include rendering me speechless seventy percent of the time.

My hand grasped at the the soft texture of his shirt, and tentatively held it near my nose. I was bombarded by a strong scent of… warm vanilla?

"Well?"

A chuckle escaped my lips. "It smells awfully girly."

"Our laundry must have mixed up."

I instinctively brought the shirt closer to my nose. Even though it smelled sweet and feminine, it smelled distinctly of him as well. I fell in love with the combination.

"Hm?" I responded when I realized I hadn't heard his spoken words.

"I said it smells like you."

He knew what I smell like, but I'd seen him insatiably dragging his nose across the shirt. That was good to know. Flattered, I buried my face in the shirt, reveling in the pleasant scent.

He veered back to his closet. "You can keep it if you like. I don't wanna go frolicking around the set, smelling like a woman."

I pressed the shirt against my chest, and almost swooned. "I suppose you'd rather have me go around the set, wearing a man's shirt?"

"Well at least you'll smell like you."

"I guess a thank you is in order."

Since the short time we've begun working together again, I've seen him wear this for at least two times now. And it wasn't because he lacked clothes. In fact his cabinet was full of them.

"No need," he said, and resumed rummaging through his clothes. "Hunt is setting an audition for another set of roles."

"Charles only appears in flashbacks now, doesn't he?"

"Yeah. SGS focuses more on Esme's vamp life."

"Just when I was starting to like having Richard around," I folded the shirt and placed it on the nightstand. "Did you two talk?"

He pulled out another shirt. "He said lots of interesting things."

"Oh . . . do share."

"Trust me, you don't wanna know."

"Guy stuff?" _by guys stuff, I meant beautiful women and sports._

"Pretty much," he sounded bored, holding the shirt to his nose as he did with the previous one.

"Does it still smell like me?" I teased.

"Leeching more clothes off me?" he shot back with an archaic smile.

I huffed, "More like preventing you from attracting unwanted admirers."

"I guess a thank is in order," he said, indulging me with one of his lop-sided smiles, and throwing the fabric back to his closet.

"Gavin's directing a romance type of flick," I shared. "perhaps they're making a rival movie."

His dimples peeked as he kept smiling. "We'd have to make ourselves a worthy opponent then."

"A contest on which movie can produce more squeals, giggles, and tears," I implied.

His beautiful eyes twinkled as he disrobed himself on his way to the bathroom. "A contest it is."

* * *

_*off book: (theater) No longer needing the script to rehearse._

_**In film criticism, auteur theory holds that a film reflects the director's personal creative vision, as if they were the primary "auteur" (the French word for "author")_

_A/N: Thank you for everyone who followed, faved, and reviewed this story. Your actions keep this story alive. Tell me what you think, and stay tuned for the next chapter:)_

_Cheers,_

_disYmis_


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